In A Flash
by dcent
Summary: Santana Lopez was a bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Brittany Pierce was an uptown new girl just trying to fit in. What happens when their worlds collide?
1. Intrigue

She looked in the mirror and smiled. Her long hair fell well past her shoulders, framing her round face. Her brown eyes matched her dark hair, and they held a bit of mystery and mischief. They also had a glint of something else, if someone bothered to look hard enough, but no one ever did.

Her full red lips easily drew attention away from her eyes, and her perfect white teeth looked like something straight out of a toothpaste commercial. When she smiled, her deep dimples appeared, and the apples of her cheeks rose ever so slightly giving her an almost angelic look, a contradiction to the devilish smile that was forever on her lips and the mischievous look in her eyes.

She slipped into a tight, long sleeved black dress that outlined her assets perfectly. It left little to the imagination, the hem merely grazing her fingertips when she put her hands down by her sides, just barely appropriate for school dress code. She threw on a black leather vest, complete with unnecessary zippers, and to top it off, she pulled on her knee high stiletto boots, making her legs look that much better even though they were covered.

"Perfect," she breathed as she did a full 360 in front of the mirror.

There was no doubt that Santana Lopez was badass and beautiful, a gorgeous girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She came from the sketchy part of town, living in a housing project called Lima Heights Adjacent.

She was proud of her bad girl status, and why shouldn't she be? She had earned it. She didn't act like a bitch for nothing. Okay, maybe she did. But it paid off because people respected her, if not for her street cred, then out of fear. She was known to keep razor blades in her hair.

Everyone in her project knew her by her bad girl name Snix, and usually only family and school called her by her birth name. Both girls and boys wanted her and wanted to be her. Santana knew it, and she liked it.

As she walked out of her family's apartment, she literally turned heads, the sound of necks cracking almost audible as people readily whipped their heads around just to watch her walk. She smiled to herself. She looked good, and she knew it.

Her school was actually a few blocks away from where she lived, but she enjoyed the attention she got from just walking down the street. She also liked to use her walks to school to think.

As badass as Snix was, Santana was still just a girl with the same problems as most high school girls – school, relationships, parents – and the walk to school helped her sort out her thoughts.

As she walked in to school, she was greeted by the usual stares and cat calls from boys, and the glares and whispers from girls. No one ever really dared to approach her though, except Noah Puckerman, AKA Puck, who was probably one of the only other people in the whole school who was just as bad as Santana, which was the only reason she even remotely showed any interest in him.

"Hey Snix, when can I take you out on that date?" Puck said smoothly as he sauntered up to her while she was at her locker. He hung out around Lima Heights Adjacent, making him one of the few people at school who knew her by her street name.

She slammed her locker door, causing him to blink surprisingly at the sound, and she walked off, calling behind her, "Maybe when hell freezes over and you start ice skating like Michelle Kwan, Fuckerman."

She smiled to herself, knowing it was a good comeback. Puck just laughed to himself. Her snide remarks were part of what made her so sexy. He watched her walk all the way down the hall and turn the corner before he went outside behind the bleachers to skip class.

Santana walked into homeroom, and sat at the way front of the class. Despite what people said about bad kids sitting in the back, she liked to sit in the front. It let people stare at her, and she didn't have to go through the awkwardness of locking eyes with someone when they turned around to look at her. She was also pretty smart, and she knew sitting up front meant she learned better.

She surveyed the room to see if she knew anyone. Santana had never been very social at school. She drew attention, but she mostly just kept to herself, staying away from petty high school drama and mainly just focusing on getting out of high school as fast as she could.

As Santana looked around the room, her eyes settled on a blonde, diagonally behind her. Santana stared at her, except unlike everyone else who Santana stared at, the blonde didn't look away. In fact, she stared back. Santana raised an eyebrow and smirked. _New girl_, Santana thought to herself, as she turned around in her seat.

"Lopez, Santana?" the teacher called, and she merely raised her hand to indicate her presence. She turned back around to look at the blonde, waiting to hear the name of the girl who had caught her attention.

"Pierce, Brittany S.?" the teacher called eventually, to which the blonde responded confidently, "I'm here,"all the while holding Santana's gaze. Santana knitted her brows together, surprised at the blonde's tone of voice. She had expected the girl to be shy and mousy, but proved her wrong by saying two words.

Santana turned back around to face the front of the room.

She was intrigued.


	2. Close Encounters

She went into the bathroom and looked at the poor excuse of metal that the school offered as a mirror. She sighed and took out the small compact from her backpack. She stared at the small section of her face that her mirror reflected back, and her blue eyes stared back as she made sure nothing was out of place.

Brittany had never been very superficial; in fact, the way she looked was never at the top of her priorities, but it was, after all, her first day at a new school, and she wanted to look presentable.

Her blue eyes gazed back at her, so clear that they looked like pools of water. Her pale skin was flawless, interrupted only by the smattering of freckles that started at one cheek, crossed the bridge of her nose, and ended at the other cheek.

She put her compact down on the edge of the sink, pulling her hair back into a high pony tail. She looked in her compact again and groaned. It didn't look right. She pulled her hair tie out and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it out from its previously confined state. She looked in her mirror again.

_Better, _she thought to herself.

She put away her compact and smoothed down her over sized striped shirt that hung off, exposing her left shoulder. It was loose enough to be comfortable, and by tucking it into her short black shorts, it also outlined her slender figure.

She applied a swipe of pink lemonade LipSmackers to her lips and rubbed them together, walking out of the bathroom to her homeroom.

_Am I too early?_ she thought to herself as she walked in, looking at the handful of kids who were sitting down.

_Oh, right. Everyone is probably talking to their friends._

She sighed. Brittany never really had a problem making friends, but she just wished she could skip the niceties of introduction and building a friendship and just have someone already.

She made her way to the second row and sat down. She knew she should have sat in the very front – she got distracted easily, and school was already hard enough – but she was new, and she didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention to herself.

A few minutes later, other students came in, and the room began to fill up. Brittany had always been very observant, and she watched the people around her, the people who would be her peers for the rest of high school. She heard the sound of heels, and turned to face the front, expecting to see the teacher.

Instead of a teacher, however, Brittany found herself – along with the rest of the class – staring at a gorgeous Latina in a tight black dress, possibly the sexiest thing Brittany had ever seen in her entire life. Her jaw hung slack at the view, and she realized that she could have performed the whole dance of Britney Spears' and Maddona's _Me Against the Music _on the teacher's desk, and no one would have given her a second look, not with this girl in the same room.

The Latina sat in the front desk, and Brittany regretted not sitting up front too. _She looks like she would ride a motorcycle_, Brittany mused to herself, as she stared.

She watched the Latina look around, and her dark brown eyes finally settled on Brittany's blue ones.

Brittany wasn't the shy type, and as the Latina stared at her, Brittany stared back, noticing something beneath the surface of the dark brown eyes that stared back at her, something mysterious, something hidden.

As Brittany concentrated on figuring out what was so intriguing about the Latina's eyes, her focus was interrupted as the girl quirked an eyebrow up and gave Brittany a sly smile as she turned back around.

Brittany blinked multiple times, her eyes stinging and watering a little as they re-moistened. She had been staring so intently that she had forgotten to blink. The teacher had already begun to call roll.

"Lopez, Santana?_" _The Latina simply raised her hand, not bothering to actually say, "here." She turned around to stare at Brittany.

"Pierce, Brittany S.?"the teacher called, a few names later.

"I'm here," Brittany called back, not taking her eyes off the Latina, who furrowed her eyebrows for a second before turning back around. Brittany ran her tongue across her lips, tasting the waxy sweetness of her LipSmackers, staring at the dark brown waves of hair in front of her.

It was settled.

Brittany was in lust with Santana Lopez.

* * *

Brittany had gone through the rest of the day in a daze, finally snapping out of it at the sound of the final bell. She gathered her stuff and walked to her locker.

Because of their last names, her locker was only a few away from Santana's, who was standing with her back against it, a large badass boy version of Santana leaned over her, his arm resting on the lockers above her head. His stance was intimidating, but Santana was unfazed, and Brittany smiled as she watched the small Latina roll her eyes and push the football player built guy out of the way. It reminded her of a funny video she had seen of a Chihuahua scaring away a Doberman.

She turned her back to the scene, and resumed her business at her locker. She shut the door and turned around, taking in a small gasp as she realized there was someone behind her. It was Santana, who had managed to sneak up on her, despite the fact that she was wearing stilettos. The Latina was uncomfortably close, and Brittany could smell her shampoo.

Even with heels on, Santana only barely reached Brittany's eye level, and she smiled again as the Chihuahua/Doberman video flashed in her mind. She looked the Latina in the eye, who licked her lips, instantly drawing Brittany's eyes to them instead. The Latina smiled.

"So you're new." It wasn't a question.

Brittany nervously shifted her weight to her other foot, suddenly aware of how close Santana was to her face. She could smell her spearmint gum as she spoke.

"Yeah, I am," Brittany said smoothly.

She didn't think the Latina could be any prettier, but up close, she was even more gorgeous. She studied the shape of her face, the flawless, tan skin, the roundness of her cheeks.

_If looks could kill_, Brittany thought to herself.

Brittany let her eyes drop down to the red lips in front of her, and she bit her own, before breaking away from the trance she was in.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she walked around Santana, her words coming out louder than she expected.

"I guess you will," the Latina said back with a smile, eyeing Brittany up and down before turning and walking the other way.

As Brittany walked away, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, the scent of Santana's shampoo still lingering in her nostrils.


	3. Opposites

William McKinley High was right in the center of Lima, and it was only a few blocks from Brittany's house. It wasn't too far of a walk, and she liked walking anyways. It gave her time to think, and she needed it, especially with all that happened that day.

The whole day had been a blur of new school problems – walking into the wrong class, laughing at jokes that weren't funny to be nice, repeatedly answering the question of where she was from. The only parts she remembered clearly were the parts with Santana.

_Santana_.

Brittany wondered where she lived. _Probably downtown. _Brittany lived in the opposite direction – uptown, the good part of town.

She walked up the driveway, the house still seeming like someone else's even though she had already been living there for close to two months. She came in the front door, and went straight up the stairs to her room.

The Pierce parents worked a lot – her mom was a lawyer and her dad was a doctor – so Brittany was often home alone. She didn't mind; she preferred the quiet.

This house was smaller than the one she used to live in; it was only two stories, but the wide open spaces, marble floors that echoed back every little sound, and general unlived in feeling made this house seem bigger.

They moved from Dayton because her mom got a promotion and was sent to manage the firm in Lima. Her dad still worked at the hospital in Dayton and made an hour and a half commute into the city for work. Brittany wished she could ride with him so she would be able to stay at her old high school, but her dad's erratic work hours and on-call status made it impossible for that to actually happen.

She walked into her room, lay down on her bed, and closed her eyes. Immediately, she saw Santana's face – her wavy hair, red lips, and dark brown eyes. _Those eyes, _Brittany thought, as she opened her eyes and sat back up.

She thought about the Latina, remembering how every inch of her looked, hugged by the tight black material that stretched across her body in all the right places.

Brittany chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, shaking her head to get the image out.

She sighed loudly.

It was an impossible crush, developed out of sheer lust.

Brittany always found herself having crushes on girls, simply because she thought they were pretty. She never acted on it, though, and the feelings usually just evaporated. She usually just attributed it to the fact that she appreciated beauty.

Besides, girls were better than boys.

They were pretty, they smelled nice, they had cute clothes, they were soft, and they weren't as rough and obnoxious as boys were.

The more she thought about the Latina, though, the less she felt that this was another evaporating crush. She laid back down, and closed her eyes, the exhaustion of the day finally hitting her. She drifted off to sleep, too tired to actively push the thought of Santana out of her head, resulting in disjointed dreams made up of tan skin, red lips, and brown eyes.

* * *

Santana sat down on the front porch of the apartment. She sniffed the air, and smelled her clothes, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Puck had stood too close to her at the lockers, and now she reeked of his cologne.

She spit out her gum and groaned, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag. She didn't smoke very often, but today had been one of those days. She blew the smoke out and thought about the tall blonde.

Something about her was strikingly attractive to Santana. Maybe it was her confidence, or maybe it was the way she would boldly stare back instead of looking away. Or maybe it was because she was just plain hot.

Santana went over the blonde in her mind – toned legs that went on for miles, clear blue eyes like a cloudless fall sky, the trail of freckles across her cheeks, her slender body, the way her cheekbones were raised ever so slightly, the way her nose sloped down.

She smiled at the memory of Brittany up against her locker, the way she nervously shifted around when Santana got too close to her face, contradicting the confidence in her voice.

Santana took one last drag before getting up and throwing the cigarette on the concrete, putting it out with the tip of her boot. She dusted herself off and walked inside.

She lived with her parents and her abuela, but most days, it was like it was just her and her grandma. Her mom was a nurse who worked the graveyard shift, so when she was home, she was out like a light. Her dad was a truck driver, so he was always on the road.

Santana didn't mind though. Her grandma had been like a mom _and_ a dad to her, ever since she could remember. She was the one person who knew Santana inside and out, the one person she could be herself around, drop her defenses, drop Snix, and just be Santana.

She went in the bathroom to wash her hands and brush her teeth; her grandma didn't approve of her smoking.

"Santana, es usted?" a voice called.

"Si, abuelita, it's me," Santana called back, as she made her way to the kitchen where her grandma was sitting at the table reading a magazine. She walked up behind her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You know I don't like it when you smoke, Santana. I can smell it in your hair."

Santana sat down in the chair across from her grandma, and took a lock of her hair and smelled it. She silently scolded herself for not pulling her hair back before lighting that cigarette.

"Como estuvo escuela, mi amor?" her grandma asked, not looking up from whatever juicy piece of gossip she was currently reading.

"School was okay, nothing special."

"Just okay? It was your first day of junior year, and it was just okay?" her grandma asked, finally looking up from her magazine, furrowing her brow and frowning as she looked at her scantily clad granddaughter.

"Mi nieta, why do you have to dress like that? You know how people stare." The elderly woman gestured at Santana's bare thighs.

"Porque, abuela, I look _good_," Santana said smiling, as she got up to give her grandma another kiss on the cheek.

"Santana, everyone can see you're beautiful just by looking at your face. You don't have to show them everything. No one wants a gift that's already been unwrapped. And those shoes," she began, eyeing Santana's high heels, " wouldn't chanclas be more comfortable?"

Santana laughed at her grandmother's loving concern. "No pain, no gain, abuela. Besides, I only dressed like this because it was the first day of school. I promise I'll dress more casual tomorrow."

"Vale, Santana. Just make sure people don't get the wrong idea."

Santana hugged her grandma from behind. "Lo se, abuelita. I love you."

She walked to her room to change, her grandma calling behind her, "Make sure you wash that hair Santana. You know I hate the smell of menthols."


	4. Friday

The week, like the days, went by like a blur. Brittany still hadn't gotten into the groove of things, but she was getting there. She was mostly just trying to make it through the day.

It was finally Friday, and she sat on the bleachers, too tired to actively participate in gym class. She wore one of her home shirts; it was kind of small and barely came down to the waistband of her Soffe's. She had pulled her hair up into a high pony tail, and put on knee high tube socks just because, and she actually looked a lot less rough than she thought she did.

It didn't matter, though. The only person who she would want to impress wasn't in the same class.

She'd seen Santana a few times since the first day of school, but their encounters were limited to Santana smiling suggestively at Brittany from her locker or looking her up and down when they passed each other in the hallway. Brittany always ended up blushing violently.

She sat for a while thinking about the Latina, her thoughts interrupted when she noticed a short brunette briskly walking up the stairs towards her. The girl sat down next to Brittany and immediately began speaking.

"I noticed you were new here and as an ambassador of William McKinley High School, I would personally like to welcome you. I'm Rachel Berry."

She didn't wait for Brittany to introduce herself, but instead actually introduced Brittany for her.

"You're Brittany S. Pierce. I know that because I took the liberty of looking up your information. See, I work in student services so I have access to general student information. Pierce, Brittany Susan from Dayton, Ohio, formally a student of Lake View High School. It must have been a shock coming from the hustle and bustle of the city to the dull town that is Lima."

The brunette stopped talking, but Brittany remained quiet, not sure if Rachel was actually done talking or just talking a breath. It turned out she was just taking a breath.

"Well, I just wanted to introduce myself. I saw you sitting by yourself, and I remember what it was like my first day at McKinley. People here have always had a hard time accepting things that are different, whether it's because you're new or because you're Jewish with two gay dads, and obviously born for stardom on a Broadway stage." Brittany assumed Rachel said the latter part in reference to herself.

Class was almost over and kids were heading back into the locker rooms to change out. Rachel noticed too, and stood up. Standing, she was only a few inches taller than Brittany was sitting down.

"I'll see you Monday, Brittany!" the brunette said cheerfully, giving her a wide smile and pulling her into a hug.

The whole ordeal left Brittany puzzled, and Rachel was already at the bottom of the bleachers, happily bouncing towards the locker room by the time Brittany snapped out of her confusion.

Rachel had been talking really fast, and as Brittany stood up to walk down the stairs, she replayed the conversation in her head in slow-mo.

She was a little freaked out that Rachel had known so much about her, but relieved at the same time. It saved her the hassle of going through the usual 20 Questions of who she was and where she was from.

_At least she was nice_, Brittany thought to herself as she walked into the locker room, smiling at the realization that she actually hadn't said a single word during her whole conversation with Rachel.

* * *

It was finally Friday, and Santana was glad for it. The week went by too slow. It was her last class of the day, gym, but she had skipped it all week.

_Why start today? I'll go next week, I swear,_ Santana compromised with herself.

It was a useless class anyways, but the school required all students to take at least one physical education class in order to graduate.

It's not that she wasn't athletic; in fact, she had been in gymnastics ever since she was little, all the way up until right before her freshmen year, and she still had the body to prove it.

It was just that she hated the hassle of dressing in and out. It took too long. Mostly though, she always felt weird seeing the other girls naked.

She wasn't self-conscious or anything; she had a banging body, and she knew it. It was just that she got a weird feeling. Like she was seeing something she wasn't supposed to. She felt like a little boy who was spying in the girl's locker room, even though she was a girl.

Santana had never really told anyone she liked girls. Hell, she never really admitted it to herself until her first..._fling_ with another girl. She shook her head as she thought of it, the memory making her nauseous.

She continued to walk past the gym and towards the football field. She sat under the bleachers and put her earphones in.

_We only said goodbye with words, I died a hundred times. You go back to her, and I go back to black. _Santana listened to Amy Winehouse's smooth voice pour into her ears as she lit a cigarette.

She had found herself smoking more often, and she figured it was just the basic stress of being back in school. _This week really has been too long,_ she thought to herself. She sighed as she thought of Brittany.

The only thing that got her through was the chance to see the beautiful blonde. She hadn't talked to her since the first day of school, but she usually caught Brittany staring at her in the hallway or at the lockers. Santana would sometimes flash her a sexy smile or look her up and down, enjoying the blush that usually appeared on the blonde's pale cheeks.

It was weird how much she looked forward to just being able to catch a glimpse of her.

Santana's thoughts froze, and she clenched her jaw.

This feeling was all too familiar. This was how she felt at the start of her first relationship. She rolled her eyes. _Relationship, my ass_, Santana thought to herself. But the more she thought about Brittany and the eagerness she felt just to see her, she realized that this was more than just intrigue.

Santana shook her head. _No. I'm not going through this again. _

She clenched her jaw even tighter, remembering all too clearly what happened the last time she felt like this. She felt the familiar pang of nausea overcome her.

She couldn't feel this way about Brittany. She couldn't feel this way about anyone. Even if it was just a little crush, it needed to end _now_.

She let out an exasperated sigh. The last girl that made her feel like this completely ruined her. Plus, Brittany probably didn't even like girls like that.

Santana pushed all the thoughts out of her head, and took in a deep drag.

This wasn't going to happen to her.

Not again.


	5. Maybe

It was Sunday afternoon, and Santana decided to walk around town. She needed some time to clear her head. She spent a good part of the weekend sitting in her room trying not to think about Brittany, but the more she tried not to think about her, the more she ended up thinking about her.

_Maybe I need a change of scenery_, Santana thought, as she headed out the door, hoping all the visual stimulation around town would keep her mind off of things.

She didn't feel like drawing attention, so she went with something casual. She was wearing a fitted black tank top and some short jean shorts, her hair pulled back into a high pony. Even dressed as simple as this, she still caught some eyes, but she was used to it.

As she walked, she pulled down her sunglasses. Even though it was sunny, the weather was getting noticeably cooler. She stepped onto the sidewalk, under the shade of the awnings of all the side stores.

Sunday was generally a busy day in town – people coming from church, having lunch, or just shopping around.

She lifted her sunglasses up and walked, trying to take in all the activity around her to keep her mind off the blonde. It didn't work. Every time she saw a flash of golden hair, her heart jumped a little, eagerly trying to see if it was Brittany. And every time, she scolded herself. _I need to stop doing this, _Santana thought to herself. _ Just forget about her._

She walked further into the middle of town, where she saw a tall blonde looking at the map in the center of the square. Santana shook her head. _Where the hell did all these blondes come from? I swear there weren't this many before. _As she got closer, she felt her ears get hot, the familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

There she was.

The one blonde she was trying to avoid.

Brittany was standing in front of the sign, chewing on her lip, a puzzled look on her face. _Still a new girl,_ Santana thought as she smiled to herself, regaining her composure and walking up to her.

"Lost?" Santana said to Brittany, who jumped a little at the sound of the voice behind her.

"Uhm, yeah, I think so. I lost my compass, and I don't know where I am," the blonde admitted, embarrassed.

"Compass? Haha, okay. Well, you're still in Lima, so that's a start. I'll show you around."

Santana walked beside the blonde, pulling down her sunglasses to hide the fact that she was staring.

Brittany was still as gorgeous as ever, her hair looking even more golden in the sun and her pale skin almost looking like it was glowing. She had on a blue sundress, almost the same color of her eyes, and it came just above her knees, allowing Santana to see a glimpse of her toned thighs whenever she walked.

Santana shook her head. She sighed out loud. _So much for a change of scenery. I should have just stayed home,_ she thought to herself, bittersweet at the fact that her plan to stop thinking about Brittany had backfired, and here she was walking around with the one person she had tried so desperately to avoid.

She was so focused on her internal argument with herself that she didn't notice Brittany was staring at her. The blonde cleared her throat. "Is something wrong? I mean, like are you busy or something? You don't have to take me around if you have something else to do. I'll figure it out eventually." Brittany looked at Santana, her blue eyes filled with genuine concern.

"What? Oh no, sorry. I'm not busy. I was just…thinking. Anyways, we wouldn't want you get lost now would we? Who else is gonna stare at me at the lockers?" Santana said, raising her eyebrow and giving Brittany a smirk, who was already turning red. "Oh – uhm I – well I just," the blonde stammered, obviously embarrassed at the fact that she had been called out.

Santana laughed out loud at how cute Brittany looked, her face turning bright red as she struggled to make complete sentences.

"I'm totally kidding, Britt. Everyone stares. I like it," Santana said giving the blonde a wink, who had turned even more red.

They walked up to a coffee shop. "This is the Lima Bean. It's basically like Starbuck's, but without having to make the trip way up town," Santana said holding the door open for Brittany. "Come on, I'll buy you one."

They ordered their drinks and sat down. Santana lifted up her sunglasses and stared at Brittany, who avoided the Latina's eyes, still embarrassed from what happened on the walk to the coffee shop. All of a sudden, Santana felt bad for what she had said.

"Hey, look. I'm sorry for what I said outside. I didn't mean to embarrass you, I was just kidding. I mean, everyone stares. Well not everyone. I just mean that I know people look at me sometimes. It's not a big deal, okay? Don't feel bad about it. I mean, I'm flattered that a pretty girl like you actually looked at me without glaring or whispering." Santana could feel herself rambling, but she felt the need to explain herself to the blonde. She didn't like how sad she looked. To her surprise, the blonde looked up at her and smiled. "You think I'm pretty?"

This time, it was Santana's turn to go red. "Uhm, well yeah. I mean, don't you? Think you're pretty I mean. It shouldn't be a surprise or anything, unless you don't own a mirror."

Now the tables had turned, and Santana wondered what it was about the blonde that made her feel so flustered.

"Thanks, Santana. It means a lot, coming from you." Brittany smiled again, and Santana could feel herself getting pulled in.

They sat in silence for a while, Santana trying to sneak peeks at the blonde whenever she could without being obvious.

"So, where do you live?" Brittany asked, breaking the silence.

"Downtown. Lima Heights Adjacent. What about you?"

"Opposite side," the blonde said back in between sips of coffee, "Uptown. You know that new house they just built up on the hill? Yeah, that's me."

Santana went over that part of uptown in her head and nodded, grimacing slightly as she remembered why that part of town was so familiar to her.

"Oh yeah, I know it. I knew someone who lived around there."

"Who?" Brittany asked.

"No one that's important," Santana laughed. "Let's just say the company's better now that you live there."

She smiled as she saw Brittany blush.

"Well, what's the company like in Lima Heights Adjacent?" Brittany asked sincerely, like she truly wanted to know, and she wasn't just asking to be polite.

"Not a lot of blondes around there, I'll tell you that," Santana said back, smirking before taking a sip of coffee.

"Oh," the blonde said, somewhat disappointed. "Well, maybe that'll change."

Santana looked at Brittany, surprised at the playful tone in the blonde's voice.

"Yeah, maybe it will," Santana said back, blushing a little as she gave the blonde a genuine smile, secretly hoping that this "maybe" turned out to be more of a reality.


	6. Liking

Brittany walked into her room and flopped down on her bed, burying her face in her pillow. She was exhausted. Santana had taken her all around Lima, and for such a small town, there was so much to see.

Even though the Pierce family had moved in at the beginning of summer, Brittany had spent most of it indoors, in front of the computer doing online classes. She had passed at her high school in Dayton with a bare minimum GPA, but it turned out that Lake View's bare minimum didn't quite add up to McKinley's bare minimum.

She turned over on her bed and closed her eyes, going back over the events of the day, not so much focusing on what she saw or did, but more on who she was with.

She remembered turning around at the sound of the Latina's voice, and Brittany was surprised at how casual Santana looked, wearing just a tank top and jean shorts. It still made Brittany's heart skip a beat, in the same way it would have if Santana was wearing her usual tight, revealing outfit.

Brittany envisioned the tan arms and legs, toned from whatever athletic activity she assumed the Latina was involved in. _She's either a dancer or a cheerleader,_ Brittany thought to herself. As a dancer and a former cheerleader herself, Brittany could recognize the effects of those certain activities on people's bodies.

She smiled as she remembered the Latina's face, the way her dimples appeared when she smiled, or the rosy color in her cheeks when she blushed. Brittany frowned as she remembered when her own cheeks were flushed with color, when Santana mentioned that she had noticed that Brittany had been staring at her at the lockers at school. Her face turned red at the memory, but her embarrassment dissolved as she remembered how Santana called her "Britt."

It made her blush that the Latina had given her a nickname even though they hadn't really known each other for very long. She replayed Santana's voice saying her name over and over again in her head, loving the way it sounded. Brittany never really thought too much of her name, but something about the way Santana said it made it sound so beautiful.

Brittany's eyes snapped open as she remembered that she had the Latina's number.

"In case you get lost again," Santana had said, writing it down on a napkin and kissing it, leaving a bright red lipstick print of her full, perfect lips. Brittany had carefully folded the napkin into small squares, being careful not to smudge the lipstick on the napkin.

She sat up in her bed and reached into her dress pocket, unfolding it with just as much care as she had folded it. She looked at the "S" that Santana had signed it off with. _As if the lips weren't enough, _Brittany thought. The more she stared at the "S," the more it started to personify Santana, its sleek shape and curves. Brittany shook her head, embarrassed of herself. _I'm definitely reading too much into this. _

She punched the number into her phone, debating on whether to contact her or not.

_Is it too soon? I mean, I did just see her like a few minutes ago. Well, I'll just thank her for today. That's just being polite. _

Brittany felt her heartbeat quicken and her hands get cold and sweaty as she sent her text message, thanking Santana for taking her around.

Santana didn't seem like the texting type, and Brittany was prepared to wait for the Latina's reply.

She laid back down and put her phone on her face so it would buzz and wake her up if she fell asleep waiting. As soon as she closed her eyes, though, her phone buzzed, startling her and tickling her nose. She rubbed her nose and looked at her phone, smiling.

_Anytime, Britt. You should get lost more often (; _

Brittany felt her mouth pull up at the corners until she was full on smiling as she imagined the Latina's voice saying her name.

_Definitely_, Brittany typed back. _See you Monday (: _

She closed her phone and put it on her chest.

"Santana Lopez," she said out loud, enjoying the way it rolled off her tongue.

She started to like the Latina more and more, and Brittany wondered if she liked her in the same way.

_Probably not._

Girls who looked like Santana were usually as straight as they came, and Brittany frowned a little at this realization.

_Oh well. Maybe we can at least be friends._

She enjoyed Santana's company. She was funny and sweet, and for some reason, Brittany felt comfortable around her, despite the way her heart beat just a little faster every time she was with the Latina.

The intimidating, bad ass girl who had confronted her at the lockers on the first day of school wasn't the same girl she had just spent all day with. That girl, the one who held the door open for her and bought her coffee, was the real Santana, no pretenses, no one to impress, no reputation to keep up.

Brittany realized that the initial lust she had felt for that bad girl who walked into homeroom was turning into a genuine liking for the real Santana, the one who got nervous and blushed and rambled when she was trying to explain herself.

This was the Santana that Brittany wanted to get to know, the Santana she wanted to be friends with.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, and for the first time in a long time, Brittany actually looked forward to going to school.


	7. Pleasant Surprise

Monday morning and Santana was dragging herself out of bed. She looked groggily at her alarm clock. It was 7:30, and she only had fifteen minutes before school started.

"Shit!" she yelled, her heart racing as she sprinted to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She threw on an off white button down blouse, a black pencil skirt, and her four inch heels, the shortest pair she owned – she was prepared to haul ass. She quickly applied a swipe of eyeliner, and headed out the door.

As she half walked, half jogged, she could feel her calves screaming for help. "I need to start working out more," she huffed, the cold, early morning air hurting her lungs.

She powered through the pain, running her hand through her hair in an attempt to shake the bed head out of her dark locks. The school came into sight, and she slowed down, catching her breath and regaining her composure.

She was glad that it was cold outside, or else she would have been covered in sweat.

It was 7:43, and she had two minutes before the first period bell rang. Santana kept telling herself she was rushing because she didn't want to be late, but in the back of her mind, she knew the real reason she wanted to get there on time.

She got to the lockers just as the bell rang, and there she was, standing against her own locker, looking down at her phone and pressing buttons. Santana smiled as she walked towards the blonde, who had looked up at the sound of the bell. Brittany smiled back and met her halfway.

"Hey," Santana breathed, not sure if she was breathless from her unanticipated early morning workout or because the blonde had a way of taking her breath away.

"Hi," Brittany said, smiling back. "Late night?"

"Something like that."

Truth was, after Brittany had texted her, she had stayed up all night, too wound up from the day she had spent with the blonde. Santana spent half the night thinking about Brittany and the other half trying not to think about her. The result was a lot of frustration, about one hour of sleep, and waking up late the next morning.

"Walk me to class?" Brittany asked shyly. Since it was the second week of school, it was no longer required to go to homeroom before going to first period.

Santana nodded and smiled. Her first period was in the same direction anyways. They walked silently until Brittany stopped in front of a classroom. "I'll see you later, Santana," she said, smiling sweetly. Santana smiled back and watched the blonde walk in the class, keeping her eyes on her until the door finally closed, cutting off Santana's view. She shook her head and smiled, feeling her heart beat just a little faster as she walked down the hall to her class.

* * *

_This day could not get any slower_, Santana thought, dragging her feet as she walked to her last period.

_Maybe I should just skip again. _

_No, _she argued to herself.

_I need to take gym to graduate. Might as well get it over with. _

She walked into the locker room, picking a random locker and opening it. She groaned as she dressed out, unbuttoning her blouse and carefully hanging it in her locker, exchanging it for a plain grey t-shirt. She slipped out of her pencil skirt, and put on a pair of sport shorts. She sat on the bench in front of the row of lockers and changed her shoes, standing up to put her heels in her locker. Just as she was about to close the door, something in her peripheral vision caught her eye.

She looked, and there was Brittany opening a locker, a towel draped around the back of her neck. She was holding a water bottle, and as she stared at Santana, she smiled, before bringing it up to her lips to take a drink. Santana smiled back, too surprised to add a hint of anything sensual.

_I think that God has laid a hand_, Santana thought to herself, looking at the blonde.

_I mean, what are the chances that I'd pick a locker next to hers?_

They stood for a second, staring at each other, until they were interrupted by a slightly shrill voice.

"Brittany!"

Santana blinked, remembering where she was.

_Ugh. Berry. _

Santana rolled her eyes at the brunette who had come in between her and Brittany's staring contest. Brittany put the towel in her locker and closed the door, Rachel pulling her by the hand towards the gym. Brittany kept her eyes on Santana for a few seconds before finally turning around to give Rachel her full attention.

Santana kept staring at the spot in front of her where Brittany had just been standing, her perfume still lingering in the air. Santana bit the inside of her lip. She was starting to like the blonde a lot more then she would admit.

She shut her locker door, and walked out the locker room, avoiding the gym. As much as she wanted to see the blonde, she knew nothing good could come out of it.

Not to mention that she couldn't stand Rachel Berry.

_What a hobbit, _Santana thought to herself.

She walked toward the tennis courts and sat, thinking. It was starting to bother her how much she liked Brittany. She grabbed a tennis ball and absent mindedly bounced it up and down. She felt her chest buzz. She had put her phone in her bra since her shorts had no pockets. She opened the text message. It was from Brittany.

_I didn't know you were in this class. _

Santana squinted her eyes, the sun glaring off her phone's screen. She got up and started to walk towards the gym to sit in the shade.

_Yeah, I mean I don't really like gym so I skipped it all last week. But I need it to graduate so…I would have came if I knew you were in it (; _Santana texted back, smiling and imagining the blush that she was sure was on Brittany's cheeks.

As she got closer to the shaded part of the outside of the gym, she saw the blonde sitting there staring at her phone, smiling. Santana walked up, her phone buzzing as soon as she was standing in front of Brittany.

_Lol where are you anyways? _the text read.

"I'm right here," Santana said out loud to Brittany, who looked up at the sound of Santana's voice. She extended her hand out to the blonde, who gladly accepted and stood up. Brittany dusted herself off before asking, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Santana asked, putting her phone back in her bra.

"Sneak up on me all the time. You're so quiet."

Santana laughed. "Well, when I was younger, I used to sneak out all the time, so I guess I just got really good at being stealthy. Plus, I did gymnastics for a really long time, so I guess that helped with like balance and grace and stuff."

"I knew it," Santana heard Brittany whisper to herself.

The bell had rung, and they began walking towards the locker room.

"Knew what?" Santana looked at the blonde, who was turning a little red.

"Oh, well, I mean, it's just that I noticed how in shape you were, and I knew it was because you did something like that. I just thought it was cheerleading or dance or something." Santana raised an eyebrow.

"So you have been staring?" Santana laughed out loud, happy that Brittany had laughed with her this time. She was glad that the blonde seemed to be getting a little more comfortable with her.

"Why'd you think I did cheer or dance?" Santana asked, as they walked into the locker room.

"Well I've been dancing since I was three, and I cheered back at my old school, so those were the only two things that I knew that could really tone muscles like that," Brittany said, shyly gesturing at Santana's body. It made Santana smile.

"Oh, nice. Well, I mean it shows, Britt. You've got a pretty killer body yourself," Santana said sincerely, adding, "You're not the only one who's been staring." She winked.

She got a kick out of making the blonde blush.

Santana shook her head as they walked up to their lockers. There was something about the blonde that kept pulling Santana in.

She sighed, as she smiled at Brittany.

_Maybe things could be different, _Santana thought to herself, earnestly wishing that things could be.


	8. On Her Mind

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! It really means a lot, this being the first thing I've ever really written and all. I know you guys are asking me to make the chapters longer, but once my thought for the chapter ends, it ends. Sorry ): But I'm definitely trying to finish writing so I can post up at least one chapter a day to make up for how short they are. Thank you all again!**

Brittany sat on the bench that was in front of her and Santana's lockers in the locker room.

_I'm so glad I ditched Rachel in the gym to go sit outside. _Rachel had been talking more than usual, excited about the glee club, and it had given Brittany a headache.

She smiled inwardly at her stroke of luck before looking down at her hands, her cheeks turning slightly red as the Latina dressed out beside her. She wanted to look, but she had already been called out twice for staring. Plus, Santana was taking her clothes off.

Brittany hadn't planned to change out of her gym clothes since it was her last period, and she was going straight home after anyways.

She could see the tan skin of Santana's stomach out of the corner of her eye, and it took everything in her not to stare. Santana started pulling her shirt over her head, giving Brittany a chance to quickly glance over. She bit her lip as she scanned the Latina's body, her eyes settling on Santana's stomach, the shadow of a six pack clearly visible. Brittany swallowed and looked away as Santana continued changing. She stared down at her hands, playing thumb war with herself to keep her attention away from the half naked girl beside her.

"Okay, I'm done. Ready?"

Brittany looked up at Santana, who was back in her school outfit. _She is so beautiful_, Brittany thought, as she nodded, getting up to walk out of the locker room. She was suddenly aware of how she looked.

"I should have dressed out," she said out loud, pulling down on her shirt. Santana reached over and touched her hand.

"Stop. You look fine, Britt. I like you just the way you are."

Brittany smiled. "Thanks, San, I like you too." she said, blushing.

She froze, realizing what she had just said. Santana kept walking. _Maybe she didn't hear me._

"Britt, you coming?" Santana said to Brittany, who was still standing in the middle of the hallway.

She cleared her throat. "Uhm yeah, sorry."

Santana smiled. "It's okay. Come on." Brittany smiled, happy that Santana hadn't really noticed her confession.

* * *

Brittany walked home, a smile on her face. As she walked, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Brittany, wait up!"

It was Rachel. Brittany was in too good of a mood to get annoyed.

"Feel better?"

"Hey, Rachel. Yeah, I do. Thanks."

"Good. Well, I live uptown too, and I thought we should walk together."

"Okay, sure."

Rachel rambled on as usual, but all Brittany could think about was Santana. She remembered how her body looked half naked, and she shivered.

"Brittany? Brittany. Brittany!"

Brittany snapped back to reality, turning her attention back to Rachel.

"Hm? Oh. Sorry, Rachel."

"Thank you. Anyways…" Rachel continued, talking about things Brittany could care less about. She glanced every now and again at Rachel as they walked, mumbling, "Mhm," every few seconds to give the impression that she was paying attention. She wasn't though. All she could think of was Santana and how cute she looked in her loose grey t-shirt.

"So what do you think?" Rachel said, again pulling Brittany out her day dream.

"Of what?"

"Of me singing 'Don't Rain On My Parade' for my audition for glee club?"

"Oh yeah, sounds great Rachel," Brittany said, relieved that the brunette hadn't realized she wasn't paying attention. Rachel continued to talk about her song choice and her audition until Brittany found herself zoning out again.

"So after school, I saw you talking to Santana Lopez."

Brittany's attention snapped back to the conversation at the mention of Santana's name.

"Wait, what about Santana?" Brittany asked, all of a sudden interested in what Rachel had to say.

"Well, I saw you talking to her today after school, and I just thought that I should tell you about her. As an ambassador of William McKinley, I feel that I should take it upon myself to warn you to stay away from her."

Brittany furrowed her eyebrows. "Why? What's wrong with her?"

"What _isn't _wrong with her?" Rachel said, scoffing.

All of a sudden, Brittany felt the need to defend Santana.

"Well, I don't know. I think she's sweet. I mean, she's always nice to me," Brittany said, remembering her Sunday adventure with Santana.

"I just think you should be careful, Brittany. Nothing good ever comes from associating with people like _her._"

The way Rachel said "people like her" made something in Brittany snap.

"Well, have you ever even talked to her? I mean, everybody thinks she's a bad person, but she's not." Brittany could feel herself getting angry.

"And people like _you_ would know that if you gave her a chance," Brittany said, walking ahead of the brunette, who was in shock at Brittany's little outburst.

"I'll see you later, Rachel," Brittany called behind her, already a few feet ahead. She felt a little bad about going off on Rachel, but mostly she felt proud of herself for standing up for Santana. _She'd do the same for me, I know it,_ Brittany thought, as she walked down her street and up her driveway, finally making it home.

* * *

Brittany sat on her bed, holding her phone. She stared at the blank text message, debating on whether to text Santana or not.

_Should I? I mean, I did text her first the last two times we texted. I don't want her to get annoyed. Maybe I should just wait to see if she'll text me first._

Brittany sighed and laid down.

She was starting to like Santana a lot more than she had thought.

"It's just a crush," she said out loud, as if to reassure herself.

She sat back up, grabbing her backpack. She began doing her homework, hoping her calculus problems would be enough to keep her mind off of Santana.


	9. Tension

Santana pulled out a cigarette and held it between her fingers. She really needed a smoke, but she knew her grandma would be home so she decided to stay at school.

After walking Brittany out, she walked back towards the football field, under the bleachers. The only people who could have seen her were either the cheerleaders or the football players, and they were all too busy with practice. She was too far away from them anyways.

She put the cigarette in her mouth, remembering to pull her hair back. She lit her cigarette, thinking about the blonde.

Something about Brittany set her nerves on edge and smoking calmed her down.

She took a drag and blew out the smoke. She caught sight of something pink in her peripheral vision. She gritted her teeth and stood up straight before taking another drag.

"Hey, Santana."

Santana blew out the smoke, disgusted at the sound of the voice saying her name.

"Looks like you still have a thing for blondes."

The girl continued to walk up to Santana until they were face to face, and even though she had gone out with Quinn for close to a year, it was like she was looking at a complete stranger.

* * *

They started going out the beginning of sophomore year. Quinn was already head cheerleader of the Cheerios, and the most popular girl in school. She was also head bitch in charge, which was what drew Santana in. It also helped that she was gorgeous.

Quinn was about Santana's height, blonde hair, with piercing green eyes. She looked like an angel, the epitome of beauty. Cheerleading kept her in shape, but there was no doubt that even without it, she still would have been sexy as hell.

It was sort of a whirlwind romance. Santana fell for Quinn, and she fell hard.

At school, they kept up their respective bad girl statuses, but behind closed doors, Santana was in love with Quinn. No one knew about their relationship, and both girls were eager to keep it that way. They both had their reputations to keep up, so they met whenever they could, which was usually at night at Quinn's house uptown, and at Quinn's discretion. They never really discussed their relationship, but Santana loved Quinn, and that was all that mattered.

But Quinn had other plans.

Near the end of sophomore year, Quinn got pregnant. Santana was crushed.

But instead of getting sad, she dealt with it the only way she knew how.

Snix.

She hated Quinn with a passion. Santana could clearly remember the day she found out.

It was a Friday, and when she heard the news, she went on a rampage.

She tracked down Quinn and took her behind the auditorium.

"I fucking loved you. How could you do this shit, Quinn? How could you do that to me? To us? I thought you fucking loved me."

Santana kept her voice leveled, but her anger was evident.

"Loved you? I was bored, S. Bored of sleeping with the same football players. I just wanted to see what it was like to be with a girl, and you were the closest one."

She crossed her arms and stared at Santana, who had her head down.

"Wait," Quinn scoffed disbelievingly, "don't tell me you actually believed I was gay?"

She laughed, the sound like coins rattling in a tin can to Santana's ears.

Santana balled up her hands into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.

"I guess I should have just kept fucking you, San. At least you wouldn't have knocked me up."

Quinn smiled smugly at Santana and shrugged.

"Well, thanks for the good times, babe," she said as she walked away, smiling, calling over shoulder, "We should do it again sometime."

Santana quaked with anger. She could hear the blood pumping in her ears.

She rushed at Quinn and pinned her against the brick wall. Quinn narrowed her eyes and gave Santana a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Even bad ass Snix wouldn't hit a pregnant girl, would she?"

Snix's hands were shaking as she gripped Quinn's Cheerio's uniform.

"Yeah, but too bad I don't have anything against hitting sluts."

Snix drew back and slapped Quinn in the face, the strike making Quinn's head whiplash to the side. Santana snapped back and felt her hand burn and tingle from the impact, but she kept her eyes on Quinn, whose pale cheek was already showing signs of a hand-shaped welt. Quinn turned back to face her, and Santana met her eyes with a glare.

"I hope you keep your fucking baby, Q. At least then you won't die alone."

Santana turned and walked away, the tears that she had been holding back so successfully finally falling. She walked until she was off campus, and before she knew it, she was in the neighborhood playground at Lima Heights. She sat inside one of the tunnels, and cried until it was dark outside. When she ran out of tears, she went home and slept for the next two days. It was the last time she talked to Quinn, the last time she cried, and the last time she ever let anyone in.

Since then, Quinn had lost the baby – whether it was a miscarriage or abortion was a constant rumor – and from there, her life went into a downward spiral.

She got kicked off the Cheerios and fell off the map, becoming an urban legend. She cut her hair short, and what was left of it, she dyed bright pink. She hung out with a new crowd, a gang of girls who prided themselves in cutting anyone who gave them shit – the Skanks.

Despite popular belief, Santana had never been and never would be part of the Skanks.

They seemed to be bad asses like her, but Santana knew crazy when she saw it.

These girls always went way too far, not just beating someone up just because they could, but they were known to send people into the ICU. Santana never picked fights, Snix just finished them, and even then she knew how to control herself. The Skanks were just a whole new level of psycho that Santana never wanted to be associated with.

* * *

Santana grimaced as she remembered the memories she had with Quinn, who was lingering in front of her, too close for comfort. Santana kept her mouth shut. She knew Quinn was trying to get a rise out of her, and she refused to give her any kind of satisfaction.

"You always knew how to pick the pretty ones, Santana," Quinn said condescendingly, as she pulled the cigarette out from between Santana's fingers and took a drag.

Santana's hand flinched at the contact, but the rest of her body was rigid, her eyes staring straight ahead past Quinn.

"Don't be like that, S. I thought you _loved_ me."

The way she enunciated the word "loved" made Santana sick.

Santana remained still as Quinn walked behind her and whispered in her ear, "Do you think your new Barbie loves you? She's probably just looking for something to fuck while she waits for her Ken to show up."

And with that, Santana snapped.

Snix whirled around and grabbed Quinn by her wrists, the force causing her to drop the cigarette. She gripped Quinn so hard, she felt the pressure her own hands were putting on the other girl's wrist bones. She could see how much she was hurting Quinn, and inwardly, Snix enjoyed it. Quinn was finally feeling a fraction of the hell she put Santana through.

She pulled Quinn close to her face, so close that they were breathing each other's air.

"Last time, I went easy on you. There's not a baby for you to hide behind this time," Snix hissed.

She threw Quinn's hands down, who glared at her, her wrists already starting to show signs of bruising.

All of a sudden, Santana felt exhausted. She didn't want to fight Quinn. She walked away, the last of the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Run back to Barbie, S," Quinn called after her.

"We'll see just how long that lasts."


	10. Change for the Worst

**A/N: Okay, I know some of you were sort of dreading this chapter, but just trust me (; Thanks again for reading and reviewing! **

* * *

Brittany hadn't really seen Santana since after school on Monday.

It was already Friday.

She had seen Santana around, but just barely, and only because she really looked for her. Sometimes she would catch a glimpse of her dark hair turning the corner, or she would get a glance of the Latina walking past her first period classroom.

Brittany sighed as she sat on the bleachers in the gym. She hadn't seen Santana in gym since Monday, either.

_I wonder where she's been. I hope she's okay._

Brittany had tried texting her throughout the week, but after her third text message remained un-replied, she stopped.

_Maybe I'm annoying her. _

Brittany frowned at the thought. She hadn't realized how much she'd seen the Latina on a daily basis until she wasn't there.

She stood up from the bleachers and went outside, hoping to see Santana. She looked around, but there were too many people spread out everywhere. She sat against the brick wall where she had been sitting on Monday when Santana had first come up to her.

_Maybe she'll show up again. Like last time._

Brittany thought of all the reasons Santana could have been avoiding her.

_Maybe she's just really busy. Or maybe her schedule got changed._

She didn't want to think of the one reason why she really thought the Latina had been ignoring her lately. She sighed, the thought nagging her in the back of her head. She felt like there were bricks in her stomach.

"Maybe I am annoying her," Brittany said out loud to herself.

She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. She was sad. She felt like she had just been broken up with. She put her forehead to her knees and closed her eyes.

_Did I come on too strong? Maybe she did hear me when I said I liked her._

She groaned.

_I always have to ruin everything._

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. She felt sick. She wanted to crawl out of her own skin and be someone else.

She let out the breath, and opened her eyes, hoping that when she looked up Santana would be in front of her. She looked up, her hope crushed at the fact that she was still by herself. She sighed and stood up, dusting herself off. She walked towards the locker room.

There was still about ten minutes left before class was over, but she just wanted to sit somewhere quiet. She was a few feet away when she saw Santana leaving the locker room, already dressed back in her school clothes. She looked up at Brittany before looking back down and quickly walking away.

Brittany frowned. She felt the tears pricking her eyes.

_She's started dressing out early just so she wouldn't have to see me. _

She swallowed. No break up she'd ever been through had made her feel as bad as she was feeling as she watched Santana walk away. She breathed in raggedly, feeling the sobs coming. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing out the tears.

_I'm being silly. We were barely even friends. Why are you crying?_

She wiped the tears away and took a deep breath in.

"I'm okay," she said out loud to reassure herself. She walked into the locker room and grabbed her stuff. The bell had rung, and the other girls were already coming in. Brittany tried to get out as fast as possible so no one would notice her tear stained face. She pulled her back pack on and walked out the door, trying to get home as fast as possible so Rachel wouldn't catch up with her.

_I can't deal with her right now. _

Brittany felt even worse about going off on Rachel now, especially since the girl she defended didn't even want to be friends with her anymore.

She walked quickly down the sidewalk, turning onto her street.

She shook her head. She couldn't believe how attached she had gotten after just a few days of knowing Santana.

She walked into her house, glad that no one was home. She went into her room, and fell face down on her bed, burying her face in her pillow, the tears coming back. She screamed into her pillow, frustrated at how quickly things had changed.

_You're so stupid, Brittany. Why can't you do anything right?_

Brittany felt a pain in her chest at the insult she had just given herself. She had always hated being called stupid, especially since she knew she wasn't the smartest.

She bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. She sniffled and turned over to stare at the ceiling. She groaned out loud, feeling her tears fall down to her ears.

She was grateful that it was Friday and she didn't have to go to school the next day.

She wiped the last of the tears away. Her eyes were tired from crying, and she closed her eyes, falling into a fitful sleep of tossing and turning, her dreams once again plagued by the Latina.


	11. Mutual

It was Saturday afternoon, and Santana was still laying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see Brittany's face and the way it fell when she saw her on Friday at the locker room. She sighed deeply. She hated that she was making Brittany so sad.

_I have to take care of myself, though. I can't do this again. What if Quinn is right? What if I do fall for Brittany, and it turns out she doesn't feel the same? Or worse, what if I'm just an experiment to her? _

Santana closed her eyes and shook her head. Her thoughts were interrupted by her grandma who was standing in the doorway to Santana's bedroom.

"Mi nieta, don't you think it's about time to get up? You've been laying in bed since you got home from school yesterday."

It was just her and her grandma home since her mom had been called in early and her dad was still out on the road.

"I don't feel good, abuela."

The elderly woman came over and touched Santana's forehead.

"Well, you're not hot. Maybe you just need some fresh air."

Santana's stomach twisted. She wanted so badly to tell her grandma the real reason why she was laying in bed, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her that it was because she liked a girl. She didn't even want to admit it to herself.

"Okay, abuela," Santana finally conceded.

"Good girl," her grandma said, kissing her on the forehead.

* * *

It was colder than usual outside, but Santana wore a tank top anyways, hoping the cold outside would numb how she was feeling on the inside. She walked down the street aimlessly, until she found herself at the Lima Bean. She walked in and sat in a booth. It was the same one she had sat in with Brittany just a week before.

_How did I let it get this far? _Santana asked herself.

She knew she was falling for Brittany, but the fear of Brittany treating her like Quinn did overcame any feelings she felt towards the blonde.

She put her right elbow on the table and propped her head up in her hand, tracing Brittany's name on the table with her left finger. She sat like that for a while, her finger numb from the repetitive movement.

"Hey, stranger."

Santana looked up to find Brittany standing in front of her, giving her a small smile. Santana just swallowed and stared back.

"Santana, are you mad at me? Like, did I do something?" Brittany asked, her concern evident in each word.

Santana tore her eyes away. She didn't like how sad Brittany looked, and she hated it even more knowing that she was the cause of it. Brittany slid into the booth so that she was facing Santana.

"Can you just tell me, San? I won't get mad, I promise. Just tell me what I did wrong. I mean, I just want to be friends with you."

Santana sighed loudly. She felt tired, and she was – tired of avoiding Brittany, tired of trying not to think of her, tired of ignoring the feelings she had towards her. She had been holding it all in, and the burden was proving too much to bear.

"Do you not want to be friends with me?" Brittany's voice was almost a whisper, as she looked down at her hands which were balled up so tight her knuckles were white.

Santana sighed and groaned at the same time, the feelings she had been holding in finally spilling out.

"That's just it Brittany. I can't _just_ be friends with you."

She could feel Brittany's eyes on her, so she kept her head down, afraid to look into the blue eyes in front of her.

She wasn't sure if Brittany understood what she meant or not, but she regretted her confession. She had spent so much time building up her hard exterior, so much time building herself up after Quinn had torn her down.

She felt vulnerable, exposed.

She shook her head and got up, walking past the blonde. To her surprise, something was holding her back. She looked behind her. Brittany had caught her hand and was staring up at her.

"Please don't go, Santana," Brittany pleaded. "Please. Can we just talk?"

Santana tore away from her and walked out the door, the cold air hitting her face.

She just wanted to go home and sleep and hope this was all just a bad dream.

She wrapped her arms around herself, and tried to get the image of Brittany's sad blue eyes out of her head. She had gotten a few feet, when she felt the exhaustion really set in. She stood in the middle of the sidewalk shivering, feeling like if she took one more step, she would collapse. She closed her eyes briefly, before opening them at the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around to find Brittany standing there, her cheeks and nose red from the cold.

"I can't, Brittany. I just can't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Santana kept repeating, the words becoming muffled as Brittany pulled her into a hug.

"Shhh, it's okay, I promise. It's okay," Brittany whispered into Santana's ear. Santana felt the tears well up, and swallowed, trying to keep them at bay. She buried her face into Brittany's shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you home," Brittany said.

She took off her sweater and wrapped it around Santana, keeping her arm around her as they walked towards Lima Heights. They remained quiet for the rest of the walk until they came up to the apartment. Santana rummaged in her pocket for her keys. Only then did Brittany move her arm from around her. She pulled out her keys and put them in the lock, turning it and opening the door. Santana turned to face the blonde, her eyes on the ground.

"You can come in, if you want. You don't have to. I mean, you've already done a lot. It's getting late, and I know you live on the opposite side of – "

She was cut off by the blonde, who had grabbed her hand and was holding onto it. Santana looked down at the hand holding her own, still not wanting to make eye contact.

"I'll come in," Brittany said softly, stepping inside, not letting go of Santana's hand, who led her through the apartment to her room.

The entire apartment was dark and quiet. Her grandma was out; she had bingo at 7:00. She was grateful that no one was home, but as she entered her room, she closed the door anyways. She knew the conversation she was about to have was going to be one that she wanted to keep private.

Her room was dark, the only light source being the window, and even then it was still really dim. Santana sat on the bed and watched Brittany walk to the window. She followed the blonde's gaze outside, surprised at how dark it had already gotten. She looked at her clock. It was only 6:00 PM, but because of the change in seasons, the days were getting shorter and the nights longer.

Brittany sat on the bed beside her, both of them staying quiet.

"Britt, I – " Santana started.

"It's okay, Santana. I understand."

The blonde's voice was comforting and sincere. Santana looked up, surprised.

"Y-you do?" she asked, disbelievingly.

Brittany gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, I do. I mean, you're not the only one who's been staring, remember?"

Santana laughed out loud, surprising herself. Brittany laughed too.

"Crazy, huh?" Brittany said.

Santana smiled, and Brittany smiled back, throwing her arms around Santana and pulling her into a hug. Santana closed her eyes, breathing in Brittany's scent. She felt warm all of a sudden – warm from the closeness of Brittany's body to hers and warm from the happy feeling she felt inside of her.

Brittany pulled back and stared into Santana's eyes. Santana looked down at her hands and cleared her throat.

"Now what?" she asked quietly.

Brittany moved closer until they were face to face. It reminded Santana of the first day of school. She smiled as she looked up at Brittany, who smiled back. Santana swallowed nervously. She could hear her heart beating in her ears, and she was sure the blonde could hear it too. Brittany leaned in closer until they were breathing each other's air. She closed her eyes, as she felt the warmth of Brittany's lips on her own. Santana pulled back and looked at Brittany, who stared back surprised.

"San, I'm so sorry, I thought – " the blonde started.

"I'm scared," Santana blurted out. "I'm scared." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Brittany took her face in her hands, lifting it up so Santana was looking into her blue eyes.

"Of what?" Brittany asked softly, tilting her head, still staring at her.

Santana looked away, her face still in Brittany's hands, which were cold against her hot face. Santana pulled back, causing Brittany to drop her hands.

"It's just that the last time I felt this way about someone, I got fucked over. It ruined me." Santana gripped her hands into fists. "I can't do that again, Brittany. I just can't."

She shut her eyes, and squeezed her hands even tighter. She felt Brittany's hand on hers, pulling her fingers from out of the fist so she could interlace her own in between them.

"I would never hurt you, Santana. I don't think I could if I tried."

She leaned down, pressing her forehead to Santana's.

"It's okay, I promise. It's okay."

Santana's felt her muscles relax, like all the tension and weight she'd been carrying was finally being lifted off.

She laid sideways, putting her head on Brittany's lap. The blonde ran her fingers through Santana's hair, all the while reassuring her and whispering, "It's okay, San. It's okay."

Santana closed her eyes, and for the first time, she felt like it would be.


	12. Insider

Brittany laid back on the bed, her legs hanging off the side and Santana's head still in her lap. Their bodies looked like a giant T on Santana's bed.

The Latina had been quiet for a while, and Brittany wasn't sure if she was asleep or not.

"San," she whispered, "scoot up."

The Latina did as she was told, laying her head on Brittany's stomach. Brittany continued running her fingers through Santana's thick, dark hair, gently massaging her scalp. She felt Santana turn over, and Brittany shifted to look at her.

"Hi," Brittany said, giving her a small smile.

Santana just smiled back and closed her eyes.

Brittany sat back up, gently moving the Latina's head back to her lap. She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"You know, I liked you the moment I first saw you," Brittany said quietly.

Santana looked up at her and smiled.

"I did too. You were so _different."_

Brittany raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

"Well, when I first stared at you in homeroom, you didn't look away. You stared back. No one ever stares back. People are usually too intimidated."

Brittany moved Santana's head so it was on the bed, adjusting her position so she was laying right beside her. She was surprised at how small Santana's body was next to hers. She snuggled closer, their faces only a few inches away from each other.

"I stared because you were so sexy," Brittany admitted, glad that the room was too dark to reveal that she was blushing. "I don't think I've ever seen anything so sexy before."

She saw Santana smile, her deep dimples forming in her cheeks.

"I also thought you rode a motorcycle," Brittany said, making Santana giggle.

"Well, I remember when I first saw you, I told myself you were a new girl, and I thought that you were gonna be all shy and stuff, but then the teacher called your name and you were so confident when you said 'I'm here' that you surprised me. I'm not gonna lie, I was intrigued," Santana confessed.

Brittany smiled, happy that they could finally talk about how each other felt. She leaned in, giving Santana a light kiss on the lips. Santana pulled back.

"I'm sorry I made you so sad, Britt-Britt." Brittany smiled at the new nickname Santana had given her.

"It's just that every time I saw you, I would start to like you more and more, and I got scared that you didn't like me the same way, and I didn't want to get hurt. I'm sorry."

Santana inched closer and hugged Brittany, burying her face in her neck. Brittany rested her chin on Santana's head and put her arms around the smaller girl. She was surprised at how vulnerable she was.

"It's okay, San. I get it. Really."

Brittany kissed Santana's hair, smelling her shampoo and remembering the first time she smelled it that day at her locker.

"You know, I thought you stopped talking to me because you _knew_ that I liked you."

"What?" Santana said, surprised.

"Yeah. Monday after gym, you told me you liked me the way I am, and I said that I liked you too."

Santana giggled.

"What?" Brittany asked, surprised at the Latina's response to her confession.

"Oh, Britt. If I knew you liked me, I don't think any of this would have happened."

"But I'm glad this happened, San. There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now."

Santana lifted her head up and kissed Brittany, who wrapped her arms around the Latina, holding her tighter. They sat quietly for a while until Brittany finally broke the silence.

"Why do you act like such a bad ass?" she asked.

Santana pulled away, rolling over on her back and staring at the ceiling. She sighed.

"Well, I mean, around here, it's the easiest way to be respected, and if I look intimidating, people won't mess with me."

Brittany watched as Santana bit down on her lip.

"But don't you want people to mess with you? I mean, not like harass you, but like, don't you want them to notice you and try and talk to you and stuff?"

Santana rolled over on her side to face Brittany, propping her head up with her hand.

"What do you mean, Britt?"

Brittany regretted bringing it up, scared that she was going to offend the Latina.

"Well, I mean – it's just that – " Brittany stammered, not sure how to explain what she was thinking.

Santana smiled at her.

"It's okay, Britt. I'm not gonna bite your head off. You're pretty much the only person besides my family who I'm _not_ trying to be a bad ass around."

Brittany raked her bottom lip with her teeth, still unsure of how to say what she was trying to say.

"Well, it's just that you always dress so _sexy_," Brittany said, feeling the blood rush to her face.

She started rambling. "It's not that I have a problem with it. Actually I love it. I mean, that's not the only reason I like you. I love your personality and the way you make me feel and the way I get butterflies when I'm around you – "

Brittany was interrupted by Santana, who was stifling a giggle.

Brittany blinked, confused.

"What?"

"Nothing," Santana said, smiling widely. "It's just that you're so cute when you ramble."

Brittany smiled.

"Well I guess what I'm trying to say is, you always dress like you want people to stare. And I know you told me that you liked it when people stared and stuff, but why if you want to be left alone?"

Brittany genuinely wanted to know.

Santana wrinkled her forehead in thought, turning over so she was staring at the ceiling again, her hands behind her head.

"Hmmm," she said. "I do like the attention, I guess. I like knowing that I can get whoever I want, whenever I want. But I've never really wanted anyone."

She turned over to face Brittany again.

"Well, not until now."

Brittany smiled and leaned in for a kiss, this time a little deeper than before. She gently sucked on Santana's bottom lip before fully kissing her, feeling Santana's tongue with her own. She heard the Latina's breath hitch. Brittany gave Santana a light kiss on the lips before pulling back and smiling.

"I should be getting home," Brittany said, looking at the clock.

Santana looked down, obviously disappointed.

"Maybe you can stay? I mean, you do live on the opposite side of town, and it's already dark out. My parents work late, and my grandma usually just keeps to herself. Would your parents mind?"

Brittany gave Santana a wide smile.

"No, they work late too."

Santana smiled back.

"Okay, well let me get you some clothes."

She stood up, walking over to the dresser to turn on the lamp, and walked into her closet.

Brittany looked around the room, finally being able to really take in her surroundings. The room seemed to be a reflection of Santana, everything a little mysterious and sexy.

She sat up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. There was a white tiger-skin throw rug on the floor right in front of the dresser. She looked to her left, noticing a Bob Marley poster hanging over the bed.

"Hmm," Brittany mumbled thoughtfully.

She looked at the small table beside the bed, looking at the picture frame sitting on it. It was a photo of a younger Santana posing in a gymnastics leotard, glitter decorating her face. It made Brittany smile at how happy she looked.

Her eyes moved to the two candles that were behind the picture. Each one was placed in a candle holder, one orange and one white. The orange one was a male body, and it was placed on a higher holder than the white one, which was a female body. The wicks of the candles were placed in awkward places on the bodies, and Brittany tilted her head as she stared at them, slightly embarrassed at how sexual they were.

"Those are my sex candles," Santana said smiling and winking, holding out some shorts and a large shirt.

Brittany blushed and smiled, amused at the fact that Santana was acting like her old self again.

"I'm just messing with you, Britt. I found them at some weird head shop, and I thought they looked cool so I bought them."

Brittany took the clothes.

"Thanks, San."

She started changing her shirt and noticed that the Latina had turned around, suddenly feeling the need to organize the objects on her dresser.

Brittany smiled.

_She's so cute,_ she thought to herself, appreciating what she knew was Santana being polite.

She looked at Santana in the mirror, locking eyes with her for a second. The Latina blushed, quickly looking down. Brittany giggled as she pulled her shorts on, walking up to Santana and grabbing her waist from behind.

"You're not the only one who stares, remember?" Brittany said smoothly.

Santana looked into the mirror, staring at Brittany. She smiled and turned around, standing up on her toes to give Brittany a kiss.

"I'm gonna get changed then we can eat dinner. Sorry if it's leftovers, but we don't cook very often," Santana said walking into her closet and changing, wearing something similar to what she gave Brittany.

_She's still so sexy,_ Brittany thought to herself.

"That's okay. We don't cook very much at all," Brittany said back.

She followed Santana out to the kitchen, happy at the fact that she was now an insider in Santana Lopez's life.


	13. Meet and Greet

Santana woke up, the sunlight from the window streaming in and hitting her face.

She was freezing cold. She turned over and groaned, reaching for her comforter but realizing that it was already occupied. Her eyes flew open, remembering that Brittany had slept over. The blonde was facing her, still asleep, wrapped up in the blanket.

Santana smiled. _I wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning_.

She got up from the bed carefully, going to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She came back and looked at Brittany who was still in a ball on the bed. Santana walked over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good morning, Britt-Britt."

The blonde stirred, but didn't wake up. Santana smiled and went to the kitchen to cook breakfast. Her grandma had come home late the night before, and Santana hadn't had the chance to introduce her to Brittany.

"Buenos dias, abuelita," Santana said to her grandma, who was already sitting at the table.

"Buenos dias, mi nieta. I didn't get to see you last night."

Santana went over to give her grandma a kiss on the cheek before getting out the ingredients for pancakes.

"I know. You came home late."

Her grandma looked at her questioningly.

"Santana, are you cooking?"

Santana smiled at her grandma's surprise.

"Si, abuelita. My friend slept over, and I wanted to cook breakfast."

The older woman narrowed her eyes.

"A friend? And does this _friend_ pee standing up?"

Santana laughed out loud. Her grandma's question was answered as a sleepy Brittany appeared at the doorway of the kitchen.

"Good morning," she said in a small voice, still not all the way awake.

Santana and her grandma turned at the sound of the voice.

"Abuelita, this is Brittany Pierce." Brittany walked over to Santana's grandma, giving her a light hug before sitting across from her.

"Good morning. I hope you don't mind that I slept over," Brittany said shyly.

Santana smiled. _She's so cute._

"No, no, of course not, chica. I'm just surprised that Santana has friends," her grandma said smiling back at Santana, who pouted.

Brittany laughed.

"Well, your granddaughter has been a really good friend to me."

Brittany and Santana's grandma continued their conversation, talking about where Brittany was from and where she lived. Santana resumed her business at the stove.

_I'm glad abuelita likes her. But how could she not? _

She prepared the pancake batter, using an ice cream scoop to make uniformly sized pancakes. She turned around while they cooked, watching Brittany. She was so comfortable with her grandmother that it seemed like the two had known each other forever. She smiled at Brittany's laugh and how Brittany could make her grandma laugh.

_She's perfect._

The smell of something burning tore Santana's attention away from the two conversing at the table.

"Shit!" Santana yelled, her pancakes burning.

"Santana! Cuida tu lenguaje!" her grandma scolded.

Santana turned a little red, glad that she was facing the stove and not towards Brittany. She felt someone behind her grab the spatula from her hand.

"Let me help, San."

Her heart fluttered at how close Brittany was to her.

"Fine," Santana conceded, sticking her tongue out at Brittany, who smiled back, turning her attention to the new batch of pancakes she was making.

Santana sat across from her grandmother.

"She's nice, Santana. I didn't know you had friends, let alone girl friends."

Santana swallowed at the mention of "girlfriends."

Her grandma still didn't know about her liking girls, and she wasn't ready to have that conversation.

"Uhm, yeah, well I mean, she's new, and I just wanted to help her out. You know, get used to Lima and stuff."

"Hmmm," her grandma said, giving her a questioning look. "My granddaughter, the saint," she said smiling at her.

Santana laughed.

"I _do_ know how to be nice to other people, abuela."

"Oh really? Well this is the first I've seen."

Santana blushed at the sound of Brittany giggling.

"Vale, abuelita. You win."

She stood up, walking over to Brittany.

"Wow, Britt. Those look great."

The blonde laughed.

"This is what normal pancakes look like, San."

Santana gave her a playful frown, before poking her in the side. She grabbed some plates and some syrup, setting the table. Brittany followed behind her with a stack of pancakes.

"Do you want some, Mrs. Lopez?"

"Oh no, thank you, querida. I have some errands to run anyways," the elderly woman said before getting up. "It was nice to meet you, Brittany."

Brittany smiled, walking over to her and giving her another hug.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Santana, you better take care of her. She _is_ your only friend," the older woman, called over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

Santana rolled her eyes as Brittany giggled.

"Vale, abuelita. I love you, take care."

"Si, you too. Adios," she said, closing the door behind her.

Santana let out a sigh.

"She's finally gone."

Brittany smiled.

"I like her. She's cute. I can see where you get it from."

Santana smiled at the compliment.

"Yeah, I love her. She's taken care of me more than my mom and dad combined," she said before taking a bite of her pancakes.

For some reason they tasted better knowing that Brittany had made them.

"Anyways, so what do you want to do today?" she asked Brittany, who was chewing, taking a moment before she could answer.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna go home. You can come and spend the day with me, if you want."

Brittany looked at her from across the table, her nonchalant tone contradicted by the hopefulness Santana could see in her eyes. It made her smile.

"Sounds perfect, Britt."


	14. First

**A/N: Please note the change in rating.**

* * *

Ever since that day, Brittany and Santana were inseparable. At school, outside of school – Brittany wanted to spend every waking moment with her.

They slept over at each other's houses, walked to school together, ate lunch together, walked home together – Brittany couldn't get enough of Santana.

It was Friday night, and they were sitting in a restaurant called Breadstix. They didn't go out very often; they enjoyed being alone together, but Santana wanted to take her out to dinner. They sat down in a booth, the waitress leaving with their orders. Brittany smiled at Santana.

"I missed you, San."

Santana wanted it to be like a real date, so she insisted they go home separately after school, and not see each other until she came to pick her up.

"I have the car for the night, so I'll swing by around 8," the Latina had said after school, giving Brittany a kiss goodbye.

"I'll be counting the seconds," Brittany said back, and she did.

She looked over at Santana who was smiling back at her.

"You look beautiful, Britt."

Brittany blushed.

"Thanks, so do you."

They sat like that for a while, just smiling at each other, taking in each other's presence. They were interrupted by the waitress, who was setting their food down.

"So, what's up, San?" Brittany asked, taking a bite of her shrimp.

Santana looked down at her food, pushing it around her plate with her fork.

"Well, it's just that – what I mean to say is – I'm not sure if –," Santana groaned in frustration.

Brittany tilted her head, looking questioningly at the girl in front of her.

"What's wrong, San?"

Brittany was concerned about the worried look on the Latina's face.

Santana sighed before finally saying, "Are we dating? Or what?"

Brittany looked at her surprised.

"Wait, isn't this a date? Aren't you paying? Because I ordered shrimp," Brittany said, confused.

They had spent the last few weeks together, and Brittany assumed they were, even though neither of them had actually said it out loud. She looked at the Latina, whose eyes were glistening.

"San, are you crying?"

Santana sniffled, and smiled.

"It's just that I'm really happy, Britt."

Brittany smiled and reached over the table, holding Santana's hand.

"Me too."

* * *

Whenever they had sleepovers, they always alternated at whose house they stayed at.

Tonight was Brittany's night.

Santana drove up the driveway, pulling up her brake. She got out of the car, walking quickly to the passenger's side to open it for Brittany.

Brittany smiled.

_She's always so polite._

It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, they were strangers. Brittany had a hard time remembering life before Santana.

Brittany led the way into the house, going up the stairs and into her room. Santana sat on the bed, holding her hands in her lap while Brittany switched the lamp on.

No matter how many times Santana came over, she always looked so nervous.

Brittany smiled.

This was the Santana she wanted, the Santana that she was falling in love with.

She sat beside the Latina and grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers. Santana looked over at her and smiled. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up, pushing her lips out, expecting a kiss. Brittany laughed lightly before leaning down to give her a kiss.

"Come here," Brittany said, pulling away and laying down on her bed.

Santana followed suit, laying down beside her. They faced each other. It reminded Brittany of that day, weeks ago, when they first confessed their feelings.

"So, you're my girlfriend," Brittany said smiling, playing with Santana's hair. "Does this mean we get to kiss at school and stuff?"

Brittany watched Santana bite her lip.

"Britt, you know I want to be with you all the time, anywhere and anyplace, but I'm afraid of the talks and the looks. I mean, you know what happened to that gay boy at school."

Santana sighed, turning over to face the ceiling.

"But, honey," Brittany said, throwing her arm over Santana and pulling her so they were facing each other again, "if anybody were to ever make fun of you, you would either kick their ass or slash them with your vicious, vicious words. Besides, you are like the awesomest girl at school. Why would you try to hide any of that?"

Santana smiled.

"Thanks, Britt-Britt. It's just that I'm so afraid of what everyone will say behind my back. Still, I have to accept that I love you."

She blushed as she said the words out loud. Brittany looked at her, speechless, her mouth slightly open.

"Please say you love me back," Santana whispered. "Please."

Brittany shook her head smiling.

"Of course I love you, Santana," she said, pulling Santana into a deep kiss.

She felt Santana smile into the kiss, and she did the same, feeling her heart beat quicken. Santana moved on top of Brittany so she was straddling her.

"You are so beautiful, Britt," she said, leaning down and kissing her.

Brittany felt her lips tingle, followed by the rest of her body. She could hear her heart beating faster. She put her hand on the back of Santana's neck, entangling her fingers in her dark hair and pulling her down closer. Brittany's other hand rested on the small of Santana's back, pushing her down onto her body.

Santana's kisses left her lips, leaving a trail down her jaw line, and on her neck.

Brittany shivered, biting down on her lip.

She swallowed, her body shaking with desire as Santana continued down her neck, leaving each spot tingling as her lips left it. Santana finally got down to Brittany's stomach, lifting her shirt and kissing around her bellybutton. Brittany pulled Santana's head back up, catching her lips with her own, gently biting down on her bottom lip.

"I love you, Santana," she whispered into Santana's ear, her breathing shallow.

Like throwing gasoline on a flame, her words seemed to ignite Santana's desire. She kissed Brittany passionately, and Brittany could taste how sweet she was. Santana continued to kiss down her neck, pressing her lips against Brittany's pulse point. Brittany felt Santana smile into her neck, and she knew it was because Santana could feel her pulse racing.

"Are you nervous?" Santana whispered, pulling back so she was staring into Brittany's eyes.

Brittany just shook her head, unable to speak. She put her hand on the back of Santana's head, pulling her down so they were locked in a kiss. Santana found her pulse point again, lightly sucking on it. Brittany let out a small moan. She felt Santana's hands go under her shirt and grip her sides. Brittany put her hands on top of Santana's who stopped kissing her to look at her. Brittany smiled, pulling her shirt off. Santana smiled down at her and stared at her body, taking a moment to take in every little part of her.

"You're so beautiful, Britt," Santana repeated, kissing a trail down her chest all the way down to her stomach.

Brittany pulled on the hem of Santana's shirt.

"Your turn," she said smiling.

Brittany lifted Santana's shirt over her head, throwing it to the floor. She gasped, taking in every inch of the Latina's perfect body.

"Oh my gosh, San," she whispered. "You're gorgeous."

Santana was flawless, her tan skin and toned body all making Brittany's heart race even faster. She put her hands on the Latina's bare skin, feeling how warm her body was. Santana leaned down to kiss her again, placing her hand on the side of Brittany's bra. Brittany arched her back, allowing Santana to unclasp her bra, placing it on the floor. Santana pulled back, her mouth open.

"No, Britt. _You're _gorgeous."

She kissed Brittany's collar bone, finding just the right spot, making Brittany whimper.

"I love you," Santana murmured into her neck, as she continued.

Brittany could hear her heart beating in her ears. Her breathing became even more shallow as Santana's mouth found her nipple, becoming hard as her tongue grazed over it. Brittany released a slight moan, which encouraged Santana to move farther down. Her lips grazed the skin just above Brittany' jeans, as she looked up at the blonde questioningly.

It took Brittany a moment to realize that Santana was asking for permission. She smiled and nodded.

_Still always so polite._

Her heart thumped in her ears as Santana unbuttoned and unzipped her pants. Brittany lifted up her hips, allowing Santana to pull her jeans off.

Brittany swallowed.

She had never done anything like this before.

Ever.

Santana pulled down on Brittany's underwear, making Brittany shift nervously.

She was completely naked, and even though she was nervous, there was no one she'd rather have see her like this than Santana.

Santana kissed her on the lips before trailing back down. Brittany could feel her body fill with heat, a tingling sensation spreading to every point in her body.

Santana's mouth was only inches away now, and Brittany could feel her breath on her sensitive skin as she got closer.

She felt Santana's tongue, and the pleasure Brittany felt made her hips jerk forward, lifting her center closer to Santana's mouth. She let out a moan, grabbing Santana's hair with one hand and reaching back to grip her headboard with the other.

"Unnnhh," Brittany moaned loudly.

She felt Santana's tongue inside her, and her muscles contracted. Brittany felt like the room was spinning, her entire body shaking in anticipation as Santana worked deeper and faster. Brittany tightened her grip on Santana's hair, moving her other hand so she was grabbing the sheets.

"San," she panted, her voice shaky. "Oh my, gosh, San."

As Santana's tongue hit a sensitive spot, Brittany's back arched off the mattress. Santana gripped Brittany's hips, planting her back down onto the bed.

Brittany could feel the pleasure coursing through her body as Santana's tongue moved faster and deeper. She could feel her body shaking, just before that final wave of pleasure washed over her.

"Fuck," Brittany moaned, panting.

She could feel the heat in her center, still tingling from where Santana's tongue had been. Santana was hovering above her face again, smiling and panting.

"You're so beautiful, Brittany," she whispered, leaning down to give Brittany a kiss.

Brittany kissed her deeply, their tongues crashing together as Brittany tried to get more of the Latina.

They kissed passionately for a few minutes until they were both forced to come up for air. Brittany was still breathing hard, and she knew Santana was too, her chest moving up and down rapidly as she panted.

Santana rolled over so she was laying beside Brittany again, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Brittany pulled the sheets around her and turned to face the Latina, burying her face in the crook of Santana's neck.

"I love you so much," Brittany murmured, kissing her neck. She felt Santana wrap her arms around her and pull her closer.

"I love you too, Brittany. I love you so much."

Brittany smiled.

"I'm so happy," she whispered, before falling asleep to the rhythm of Santana's heartbeat.


	15. Fight

It was Monday morning, and Santana rolled out of bed, eager to pick up Brittany before school.

Her grandma finally let her have the car on a daily basis as long as she filled up the tank herself.

She got ready quickly so she would have more time with Brittany when she saw her; she missed sleeping next to her, and Santana's body ached to be next to the blonde again.

They had talked on the phone all night, finally falling asleep to the sound of each other breathing, but nothing could replace the warmth and happiness Santana felt from having Brittany laying right beside her. Last night was one of the first nights they had slept apart since that first day that Brittany had slept over. Brittany's parents both had Sunday night off, so they called together a family night.

"Come over, San, please? You can eat dinner and play games with us, and then sleepover. My parents won't mind, I swear."

Santana laughed, giving Brittany a light kiss on the cheek.

"It's okay, Britt, really. Spend time with your parents. I'm pretty sure I've seen you more in the last week than they've seen you in the last month. I'll be there in the morning to pick you up," she said, giving Brittany another kiss, this time on the lips.

"Fine," Brittany pouted, her lips pushed out in a frown.

Santana kissed her lips again, murmuring "I love you" against them.

She felt Brittany smile.

"I love you, too. I'll see you tomorrow, babe."

As soon as Santana pulled into the driveway, Brittany walked out the front door. Santana smiled. She knew Brittany had been waiting by the door. She got out of the car to open the passenger's side door.

"I missed you!" Brittany squealed, the cold making her breath visible.

She threw her arms around Santana's neck and pulled her into a hug. Santana laughed.

"I missed you too, Britt," she said, before tilting her head up for a kiss.

Brittany leaned down, running her tongue across Santana's bottom lip before pulling her into a deep kiss. She felt Brittany's hand on the back of her neck, and it sent shivers done her spine.

"Mmmm," Santana mumbled, pulling away and licking her lips. "Pink lemonade."

She winked at Brittany, who got in the car. Santana closed her door and got in the driver's seat.

_What a great way to start the day_, she said to herself, holding Brittany's hand all the way to school.

* * *

Santana and Brittany walked down the hallway together to their lockers. Santana had taken to dressing less revealing, not just because of the cold weather, but because she knew it made Brittany more comfortable. Besides, she didn't care about anyone staring at her anymore, and she knew Brittany thought she was sexy in anything.

Now, though, people stared for an entirely different reason.

The two girls were a sight to see together.

Santana had on a fitted black V-neck sweater and black skinny jeans, her dark outfit matching her dark brown eyes and hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. The only splash of color on her was her full red lips.

Beside her was Brittany, wearing a lacy white dress and a white puffy jacket with a furry hood. The white made her blue eyes seem bluer and her blonde hair even brighter.

They looked like a veritable devil and angel walking side by side.

Santana was used to people staring and she remained unfazed by their looks and whispers. She looked over at Brittany, who was staring at the ground and biting her lip nervously.

_Oh yeah, she's still the new girl. She must hate everyone staring at her._

Santana frowned, unhappy that she had unknowingly been putting Brittany into an uncomfortable position.

On a whim, she caught Brittany's pinky with hers, linking them together. Brittany looked down in surprise, smiling as she looked back at Santana.

"Thanks, San," she whispered.

As nervous as Santana was about people finding about her and Brittany's relationship, her small public display of affection was worth seeing Brittany smile.

"No problem, Britt Britt."

* * *

It was the end of the day, and Santana and Brittany walked from the locker room to the school's main building, going towards their lockers.

"Your house tonight, Britt?" Santana asked, waiting for Brittany to finish up at her locker.

"I know it's supposed to be my night since you didn't sleep over last night, but can we stay at yours tonight? I like being in your room. It's like being surrounded by you," the blonde said honestly.

Santana smiled. Her grandma had bingo anyways.

"Sure thing."

Brittany closed her locker, and they headed towards the door when Santana saw something in her peripheral vision.

She grimaced.

"Come on, Britt," she said, pulling on Brittany's elbow to make her walk faster.

They were a few feet from the door, when she heard her name.

"What's the rush, Santana?"

She dropped her hand, letting go of Brittany's arm. She clenched her jaw and turned around.

Quinn always managed to show up at the wrong time.

"She's even prettier up close, S. Good pick."

Santana balled up her hands into fists. She could feel Brittany's eyes on her, and she could see the blonde's worried expression out of the corner of her eye.

"Let's just go, San," Brittany said in a low voice.

"Yeah, _San_," Quinn said mockingly. "Listen to Barbie. Looks like she's got you whipped anyways."

"Shut the fuck up, Quinn," Santana said through clenched teeth, her body tense with anger.

"Ooh, good one, Santana. Does your new _doll_ approve of you cursing?"

Santana wanted to slap the smile off her face, but she kept still, glaring at Quinn.

"You fuck her yet, S?"

Santana felt the blood rush to her face, her heart beat thumping in her ears.

"Ah," Quinn said, laughing. "I'll take that as a yes."

Santana shook with anger.

"Does she _love _you, Santana?" Quinn asked, her mocking tone ever present. "God _knows_ she loves your body. You think Barbie wants to fuck you because of your personality?"

Her eyes narrowed as she smiled at the Latina.

Santana felt her pulse racing. She was aware of the crowd that had gathered around the scene. She saw them whispering, but she couldn't hear anything.

She ground her teeth till her jaw hurt, and she squeezed her hands so hard, she felt her nails cutting into her palms.

"It's not like you have much of one anyways. Anyone could see you're about as real as your fucking tits."

Before she knew it, Snix was lunging at Quinn, the other girl's body slamming into the lockers. The crashing sound was enough to shake her from her momentary anger deafness.

Quinn was on the ground, slowly getting up, her glare focused on Santana.

Snix glared back.

"It's a good thing you're not pregnant again, Q. It would suck to lose another baby, wouldn't it?"

Her words dripped with malice.

It was apparent that Quinn wasn't playing fair, and Snix wasn't about to deny her the same gesture.

Suddenly she remembered Brittany. She looked back at her, seeing her wince at the words she had just said.

Immediately Santana snapped back, regretting what she had said, not for Quinn's sake, but for Brittany's.

She turned and walked towards her, but was rudely interrupted as she felt her head suddenly jerk back.

Quinn had her by the ponytail and was dragging her down.

She felt her head hit the hallway floor, and her anger rushed back, the adrenaline pumping and her heart pounding.

Snix turned over and got up, rushing at Quinn. She had Quinn by her shirt and was ready to reunite her with the lockers when she heard Brittany's voice.

"Stop the violence," she heard Brittany say, her voice so clear it was almost like she was right behind her.

She dropped Quinn, and panted, her breaths short and heavy.

She turned to find that Brittany _was_ right behind her, hand extended. Santana breathed out loudly and grabbed it, letting Brittany lead her away.

"Yeah, walk away like a little whipped bitch, Santana. Next time, it's Barbie I'm coming for."

Santana spun around, keeping Snix on edge, ready to come back out to make Quinn eat her words, but she realized she was being held back. She looked down in surprise at the hand that was still holding hers, the pale skin contrasting against the tan.

She looked up and found Brittany's pleading, blue eyes.

"Please," she whispered. "Please."

She gripped Santana's hand, who reluctantly gave in, but not before flashing Quinn the finger.

She continued to let Brittany lead her, down the hallway and out the door.


	16. Bare

Brittany sat criss cross on Santana's bed, facing the Latina. Santana looked down, avoiding Brittany's eyes.

Santana had been quiet ever since they got home from school, obviously still riled up about the incident with Quinn.

Brittany kept opening and closing her mouth, wanting to speak but not knowing what to stay. Instead, she grabbed Santana's hands, pulling them to her chest.

"It's okay, San," she said.

Brittany knew that for whatever reason, Santana always believed her when she said that it was okay.

"It's okay," she repeated.

The Latina looked up, giving her a tired smile. Brittany inched closer, giving Santana a light kiss on the lips. Brittany pulled back right as Santana leaned in for more.

"Uh-uh," Brittany said, smiling, waving her finger. "Not until you give me a real smile."

She could see the tiredness leave Santana's eyes as she gave Brittany a genuine smile.

"There you are, San," Brittany said, kissing Santana deeply, before pulling away and whispering, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Britt," she said back.

Brittany smiled.

She had questions about the situation with Quinn, but she knew Santana would tell her when she was ready. For now, she was just glad Santana was smiling.

"So what do you want to do?"

"Watch Sweet Valley High and cuddle," Santana said giving Brittany a wide smile.

"Done and done, babe."

* * *

Santana snuggled up next to Brittany. She loved the feeling of being wrapped up in her arms. She looked up at the blonde, whose eyes were fixed on the screen. Santana moved so she was straddling Brittany, blocking her view of the TV.

"Wait, San. Devon is about to kiss Liz," Brittany said, moving her head so she could see past Santana.

Santana leaned down, kissing Brittany on the neck.

"It's a re-run, Britt. It'll come back on," she murmured into her neck.

"I know, but I just wanna see –" Brittany's protests were cut off as Santana found the sensitive spot behind her ear.

She heard the blonde's breath hitch, and she smiled.

"Yeah, we can watch it later," Brittany whispered.

Santana looked at her and smiled. Brittany grabbed her hips and rolled her over so that she was on top. Santana gasped.

"You're a lot stronger than you look, Britt."

Brittany giggled before leaning down to kiss her. Santana breathed in the kiss, their mouths moving in sync. Brittany broke away, and Santana felt her tug up on her shirt. She pulled it off herself, before reaching to pull off Brittany's. She gasped lightly.

The sight of Brittany's body never failed to take her breath away.

Brittany smiled at her and kissed the side of her neck. Santana instinctively tilted her head to the side, giving Brittany room. Brittany kissed all the way down her chest while reaching her hands under Santana to undo her bra. She pulled it off, dropping it to the floor. She pulled back, and stared at Santana, licking her lips as her eyes took in ever last bit of her.

Santana realized this was the first time she had been naked in front of Brittany. Last time, she had only taken her shirt off. She blushed deep red, and Brittany giggled.

"You're gorgeous, San."

She kissed Santana's neck again, her tongue finding all of Santana's sensitive spots. Santana's breathing became ragged as Brittany's hands wandered up and down her body, finally settling on Santana's breasts. Santana swallowed at the contact, her nipples hardening at Brittany's touch. Brittany's hands remained there as her kisses traveled down Santana's body, her mouth finding a sensitive spot in the hollow of Santana's hip, right in the crease between her stomach and her thigh. Santana felt her body jerk forward involuntarily at Brittany's touch. She let out a low whimper. She felt Brittany's hands slide down her body, working on taking off her jeans. Santana arched her back as Brittany pulled her jeans and underwear off in one fluid motion.

Santana shivered, not sure if it was because she was fully naked or because of the excitement that was running through her.

Brittany brought her face back up to Santana's, and Santana kissed her hard, feeling Brittany's fingers slide into her. She gasped, unable to return Brittany's kiss. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip, her body shuddering with desire.

Brittany moved her mouth to Santana's ear, gently nibbling on her earlobe. Santana grabbed desperately at Brittany's back, dragging her nails down her pale skin and leaving bright red marks. Her breathing became shallow as Brittany moved deeper, the pleasure flashing through her body.

Santana's hips lurched forward, and she felt herself near the point of ecstasy, her muscles contracting around Brittany's fingers.

"Bri – Britt –" she moaned, her lips quivering.

"Shhh," Brittany said, removing her fingers and using her tongue instead.

Santana moaned even louder, digging her nails into Brittany's shoulder. She felt the heat and the moisture in between her legs as Brittany's tongue seemed to find all the right places.

Santana swallowed hard, panting.

Brittany's tongue finally found _that_ spot, and Santana could feel all the impulses in her body react at once, sending her over the edge.

She gasped, squeezing her eyes shut and biting down on her lip. She felt Brittany's breath hover over her face.

"Don't forget to breathe," Brittany whispered.

Santana obeyed, letting out a shaky breath, the last of the reactions occurring and the pleasure slowly coursing out of her body. She felt Brittany's lips on her own, kissing her tenderly.

"I love you, San," Brittany whispered.

"I love you too, Britt," she said, opening her eyes to look at the gorgeous blonde in front of her.

She flipped over on her side so Brittany was cuddling her, her smaller body fitting perfectly into the shape of the blonde's.

She felt Brittany's arm wrap around her, touching her bare skin. She shivered, realizing she was still naked. Brittany must have felt her body shake because she threw the blanket over her, slipping her arm under the sheet so she was still hugging Santana's naked body. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany's, smiling as she closed her eyes, feeling Brittany breathe against her.

"Britt," Santana whispered.

"Hmm?" the blonde said, throwing her leg over Santana's and intertwining their legs. She brought her head closer so it was resting on top of Santana's.

Santana was speechless for a second, enjoying how close their bodies were, only separated by the few articles of clothing Brittany still had on.

"What is it, San?" Brittany murmured.

"I love you. I love you. I love you," Santana repeated over and over.

"I know, babe, I know. I love you too," Brittany said back.

Santana could hear the smile in her voice, and she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep, unable to recall a time in her life when she had ever been happier.

* * *

**A/N: I just want to thank you guys again for reading and reviewing. It's super encouraging. I'm trying to take all of your suggestions and comments into consideration, but I sort of already have the whole story all planned out in my head, so I'm sorry if it doesn't go the way you want it :l But please keep reviewing and I'll keep trying to keep you guys satisfied (; Thanks, again! **


	17. Questions

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Brittany sat down at a lunch table by herself. Santana's grandma had gotten sick overnight, so after dropping Brittany off at school, she had gone back home to take care of her.

Since most people stayed away from the Latina, they stayed away from Brittany too, seeing as the two were attached at the hip.

Even Rachel kept her distance.

It had its pros and cons. Brittany had Santana all to herself, but on the rare occasion that she wasn't around, Brittany was all alone.

_Maybe I should skip gym and come visit. I'll bring soup._

Brittany's thinking was interrupted when a pink haired girl sat down in front of her. Brittany just stared, speechless.

"Hey Barbie. You better watch out for your girlfriend. Santana might be sexy and cute and sweet, but Snix is a cold, heartless bitch."

Brittany was already surprised that Quinn was talking her. Brittany blinked up at Quinn, her surprise turning into confusion at the mention of Santana.

Brittany didn't know much about Quinn, her only interaction with her being when she and Santana fought earlier in the week. Even then, Santana didn't talk about her.

"It's just some regular old girl competition, Britt," Santana had said, nonchalantly. "Like who's the bigger bad ass."

Brittany could see in Santana's brown eyes that there was something more to it than that, but she didn't pry. She held to her belief that if Santana wanted her to know, she would tell her.

She watched the pink haired girl stand up, push the chair out, and walk away.

Brittany furrowed her eyebrows.

_Snix? Who's that?_ _Crazy ex-girlfriend?_

She pushed her food away from her. All of a sudden, she wasn't hungry anymore. A million questions raced in her mind.

_Yeah, I'm definitely skipping gym._

* * *

It was 1:00 in the afternoon. Santana sighed.

_I'd be in gym with Brittany right now._

She stared at the clock, wondering what the blonde was doing at the moment. She sighed again.

"Abuela needs me. She's always there for me when I'm sick. I'll see Britt tomorrow."

Santana had told Brittany not to come over after school so she wouldn't catch whatever bug was apparently floating around the Lopez apartment. Her grandma had a cold that looked like it could be turning into the flu, and Santana was too worried to leave her alone by herself. Her grandma, ever stubborn, kept insisting that Santana go to school that morning.

"Go, mi nieta. Su escuela es mas importante que una vieja como yo."

"Old woman? Abuelita, you don't look a day over thirty," Santana said smiling, as she kissed her grandma on the forehead.

"School will always be there tomorrow."

Since then, her grandma had fallen asleep, her fever finally down.

Santana sat down in front of the TV, mindlessly flipping through the channels, her mind at McKinley, daydreaming about Brittany. She was torn from her thoughts at the sound of the doorbell. She groaned as she got up, walking to the door.

"Who the hell – Brittany!"

Santana was surprised to find the blonde on her doorstep. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she nervously adjusted her glasses. Her face turned red at the realization she was wearing glasses.

"Uhm, what are you doing here?"

Brittany was smiling at her, looking at her up and down. All of a sudden, Santana was self-conscious. All she was wearing was her loose grey t-shirt and some sweatpants, her hair haphazardly thrown up into a loose bun. She rolled her eyes and groaned inwardly.

_I'm not even wearing a damn bra._

Brittany had already seen her completely naked, and Santana would have been less self-conscious with nothing on than the rough home clothes she was wearing.

"Hi!" Brittany said cheerfully, leaning down to give Santana a kiss on the cheek. "Can I come in?"

Santana nodded, noticing Brittany was holding a plastic bag.

"Oh, here," she said holding it out to Santana. "It's soup. For your grandma. How is she?"

Santana smiled.

"Thanks, Britt, she's doing okay. Slight fever, but way better than earlier," she said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

She bit her lip as she pulled back. She wanted to kiss her on the lips, but she had been around her grandma all day, and she didn't want to get Brittany sick.

She went to put the soup in the kitchen, Brittany trailing behind her. She set it down on the counter, and leaned against it, looking at the blonde. She was wearing an Eskimo hat that almost came down over her eyes.

_She's so cute._

Santana watched as Brittany walked towards her and grabbed her hips, pulling her in.

"Hmm, I like this look on you," she said winking, pushing Santana's glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Santana blushed.

"I look like a mess. You should have texted me before you came over, Britt," Santana pouted.

She had been so busy taking care of her grandma all morning, she didn't even have a chance to brush her hair or put in her contacts.

"And miss out on seeing this side of you? I don't think so."

She pulled Santana into a kiss, but Santana stopped her before their lips made contact.

"Wait, Britt, I don't want to get you sick."

Their faces were so close together that if Santana flinched, her lips would have grazed Brittany's.

"I've got a killer immune system, San. And besides, if I do get sick, you can be my candy stripper."

Santana laughed.

"It's striper, Britt."

"Hmm," Brittany said. "I like stripper better."

Brittany was practically breathing the words into Santana's mouth, and Santana found it too much to resist. She gave in, allowing Brittany to kiss her. Her whole body tingled as she felt Brittany's lips against her own, the feeling spreading all the way down to her fingertips.

Every time they kissed, Santana got a rush like it was the first time.

She leaned into the kiss, her face resting on Brittany's, as she ran her tongue across the blonde's bottom lip. She felt Brittany smile, and she smiled too, kissing her bottom lip before pulling back.

"Hey," she whispered, smiling as Brittany rested her forehead against her own.

"Hi," Brittany whispered back, returning the smile.

"So how was school? You miss me?"

Santana gave Brittany a sly smile, walking to the kitchen table to sit down. Brittany followed.

"Most definitely. Why do you think I'm here?"

She sat across from Santana and grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers. Santana looked down at their fingers intertwining. She loved how soft Brittany's hands were.

Brittany cleared her throat, causing Santana to look up.

"There was another thing," Brittany said, and Santana noticed the blonde's blue eyes looking everywhere but into her own.

"Mhm, go on," Santana prodded.

"Uhm, who's Snix?"

Santana felt the blood rush to her face.

_It was only a matter of time._

She stayed silent for a moment, thinking about how she was going to answer.

Brittany looked down.

"It's not a crazy ex-girlfriend, is it?"

Santana looked at Brittany, and laughed.

"What? No, Britt! Actually, Snix is – well, Snix is _me_."

She looked into Brittany's blue eyes, noting the surprise and confusion in them.

"Wait, what?"

"It's my nickname, Britt."

"Oh. But when Quinn –"

"Wait, Quinn talked to you? What'd she say? Did she hurt you? I swear, I'll kick her ass if she so much as looked at you wrong."

Santana squeezed Brittany's hand, feeling the anger rise in her as she imagined Quinn confronting Brittany.

"No, San, it's okay. She didn't do anything like that. She just said that you might be sexy and cute and stuff, but that Snix was a bitch. It sounded like she was talking about two different people. How can you be both?"

Santana sighed, relaxing her grip on Brittany's hand.

"It's kind of hard to explain. It's like my split personality or something. See, when I get really pissed off, Santana gets taken over by my other, evil personality. I call her Snix."

Brittany nodded her head slowly.

"Oh, I see. And how often does Snix come out?"

For the first time in her life, Santana felt a little embarrassed of her split personality. She fiddled with her glasses with her free hand.

"Well, like I said, usually only when I'm like _really_ mad."

"Uh-huh," Brittany said slowly. "So how does Quinn know about her? And why did she call you sexy and cute?"

Santana chewed on her lip. She knew she would have to tell Brittany about Quinn eventually.

"It's kind of a long story Britt, and it doesn't exactly show me in the best light."

Santana felt Brittany give her hand a light squeeze.

"Your past is your past, San. Without it, you wouldn't be the person sitting here in front of me."

She kissed Santana's hand.

"When did you get so smart?" Santana said, smiling, before taking a deep breath.

"All right, Britt. Here I go."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. I had an extremely rough weekend. The kind where you wake up, and you're surprised you're even alive -_-; lol But here it is! Reviews are always welcome (: Thanks!**


	18. Answers

Brittany sat at the kitchen table, facing Santana, the Latina's hands in her own. She looked down as Santana spoke, rubbing her thumb over Santana's finger nails, feeling the smoothness. She could hear the pain in Santana's voice as she talked about her past relationship with Quinn.

"She was the one that ruined me, Britt," Santana sighed. "It was her."

Brittany swallowed.

She knew Santana had been in a bad relationship, but hearing that it was with Quinn made Brittany uncomfortable.

"Did you love her?" Brittany whispered, still staring at Santana's fingers.

Santana was quiet for a second, before sighing and saying, "All this time, I thought I did. But you know what? I met you, and I fell in love with you. And I realize that the way I feel about you and the way you make me feel, that's love, not the shitty way Quinn always made me feel. I love you, and I can honestly say that I have never loved and I won't ever love anyone else the way I love you, Brittany."

Brittany looked up at the sound of Santana saying her full name.

The Latina had tears in her eyes.

Brittany smiled, tears falling down her face before she could even realize she was crying.

"I love you too, San," she said, her voice cracking a little.

Santana got up and hugged her, and to both of their surprises, Brittany started sobbing.

"I'm sorry," Brittany choked, trying to hold back her tears.

"No, it's okay, Britt. Just let it out," Santana said, pulling her out of the chair and sitting down.

She pulled Brittany down to sit in her lap.

Brittany felt silly being cradled by the smaller girl, but she threw her arms around Santana's neck anyways, crying into her shoulder.

"I just love you so much, Santana," Brittany said between sobs.

"Shhh, I know, Britt. I know. And you know I love you too."

Santana rubbed her hand up and down Brittany's thigh, and Brittany immediately felt comforted. She lifted her head to look at Santana, who wiped away her tears.

Brittany let out a shaky breath.

"I will never hurt you like that, San. Never," Brittany whispered, burying her head into the side of Santana's neck.

"I know, baby, I know. Neither would I."

They sat like that for a while, Santana gently rocking her back and forth. Brittany finally sat up clearing her throat. Santana turned to look at her.

Brittany smiled, leaning down to kiss her before saying, "Thank you, San."

Santana pulled back and smiled back.

"Anything for you, Britt-Britt." Brittany stood up, pulling on Santana's hand.

"Can we go to your room?"

"Sure," Santana said smiling.

* * *

They laid on the bed, facing each other.

"Thanksgiving is next week. What do you want to do?" Brittany asked.

Santana snuggled closer, and Brittany felt her shift positions as the smaller girl laid her head on her chest.

"Well, we usually have a Thanksgiving lunch instead of dinner since my parents work nights."

Brittany combed her fingers through Santana's dark locks, playing with her hair.

"That's perfect, San. We always have Thanksgiving dinner because my parents work in the afternoon. We don't cook it, though. We usually just order."

Santana laughed.

"That's okay, Britt. You can come over early, and help me and my abuela cook, if you want."

Brittany loved the sound of Santana speaking Spanish.

"Sounds good to me."

They remained quiet for a few minutes, Brittany absent mindedly twirling Santana's hair around her fingers.

"Did you have a girlfriend at your other school?" Santana asked breaking the silence.

"Uhm, not exactly," Brittany said hesitantly.

Santana pulled back, looking at Brittany.

"I actually had a boyfriend."

Brittany looked at the ceiling, avoiding the brown eyes that stared at her.

She knew how hurt Santana was when Quinn cheated on her with a guy.

Brittany bit her lip, finally looking at the Latina.

"So you're not gay?" Santana asked.

Brittany chewed on her lip, thinking of how to answer the question.

"Well, for me, there was never gay or straight, I think. I feel the same way about girls as I do about boys. I mean, like I've had crushes on both. I've never really preferred one over the other. I just kind of liked who I liked, if that makes sense."

Santana sat up.

Brittany sat up, too.

"San, what's wrong?"

"It's just that, now I have twice as many people to compete with."

"Compete with? For what?"

Brittany wasn't sure what Santana was talking about.

"For you, Britt," Santana said, turning towards her but keeping her eyes down.

Brittany smiled.

"Oh, San," Brittany said, cupping Santana's face in her hands. "There is no competition. I'm so yours. Proudly so."

Santana smiled, giving Brittany a kiss before laying back down. Brittany laid next to her, grabbing Santana's hand and pressing her fingers to her lips.

"You know, San, you were my first. Ever," Brittany whispered against Santana's fingers.

Santana tilted her head.

"No way, Britt!" Santana said, surprised.

Brittany blushed.

"Yeah."

Santana laughed in disbelief.

"You could have fooled me. You definitely did _not_ seem like a newbie." Brittany laughed.

"Youtube, San," she said winking.

She watched Santana's eyes widen, her cheeks blushing bright red, making Brittany laugh even louder.

"I'm just kidding, San! I was kind of just…_winging_ it."

Santana still had a surprised look on her face.

"Seriously, Britt? Are you sure you're not all the way gay?"

Brittany laughed harder, her sides starting to hurt.

"Am I really that good?" she finally said, getting over her laughing fit.

Santana shifted so she was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

"Hmm, well actually now that you mention it, I don't remember," Santana said, nonchalantly, before looking over and flashing Brittany a mischievous smile.

"Oh really?" Brittany said, raising an eyebrow.

She moved on top of Santana, straddling her. Brittany grabbed the Latina's arms and pushed them over her head. She kissed Santana hard, loving the way their tongues moved together.

_She always tastes so sweet_.

Brittany broke away from the kiss, leaning down and whispering in Santana's ear, "Let me remind you."


	19. Girlfriend

It was the Monday before Thanksgiving, and Brittany and Santana walked down the hallway towards gym, their pinkies linked together.

While Santana was still a bit apprehensive about making their relationship public, she was becoming more and more comfortable with it. Besides, people had begun whispering about the possibility of them being a couple anyways, ever since her fight with Quinn.

It had bothered Santana at first, but she began to realize she didn't care what people at school thought about her anymore. The only person's opinion that she cared about was Brittany's.

She looked down at their pinkies, and pulled away. Brittany looked down too, surprised by her action.

Santana just smiled, taking Brittany's whole hand in her own and intertwining their fingers. Brittany stared at their hands, her mouth open in shock.

"San, are you sure? People are around," she whispered worriedly.

Santana gave Brittany's hand a squeeze.

"I'm sure, Britt."

The smile that Brittany gave her seemed to wipe away any worries she had about what other people thought, and as she stared into Brittany's blue eyes, Santana wondered why she hadn't chosen to hold Brittany's hand sooner.

Her admiration of the blonde was interrupted by a heavy hand on her shoulder.

She scrunched up her nose, the strong smell of cologne filling her nostrils.

"Hey, Santana," a smooth, deep voice said behind her.

Santana rolled her eyes.

"What the hell do you want, Fuckerman," Santana said rudely, turning around to face him.

She looked at him and followed his gaze, his eyes settling on Santana's hand holding Brittany's.

"Hmmm," Puck said, winking at Brittany.

Santana frowned in disgust.

"Fuck off, Puck."

Puck just smirked.

"Come on, Snix. Aren't you gonna introduce me to your _friend_?" Puck asked, looking Brittany up and down, licking his lips.

Santana narrowed her eyes, anger rising in her as she gripped Brittany's hand.

"This is my girlfriend, Brittany, and by that, I don't mean my friend who's a girl. I mean my _girlfriend_ girlfriend," Santana said, enunciating the word "girlfriend."

Puck just smiled.

"Makes sense. No wonder I could never take you out. I was beginning to think I was losing my charm," he said shrugging and walking away.

Santana relaxed her grip on Brittany and sighed. She looked over at Brittany, who had a huge smile on her face. She pulled Santana into a hug, almost knocking the breath out of her. Santana just stood still while Brittany hugged her, blinking in surprise. The blonde pulled back and looked at her.

"Thanks, San. I know that was really hard for you to do."

Santana smiled.

"I guess it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it did. I mean, I have you and that's all that really matters."

Brittany smiled at her, pulling her into another hug.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Britt-Britt."

* * *

After school, they went to Brittany's house. Santana laid down on her bed, waiting for Brittany to dress out of her school clothes and into some home clothes. She came out of her bathroom wearing just a tank top and her underwear.

Santana propped herself up on her elbows to stare at the blonde, her heart beating a little faster as she took in Brittany's body.

It never failed to amaze her how gorgeous Brittany was.

She laid back down, putting her hand behind her head. Brittany came over and sat on top of her, leaning down to kiss her.

"Thank you for today, San. Really."

Santana smiled.

"It's no problem, Britt. I'm just wondering why I didn't do it sooner."

Brittany leaned down and kissed her again deeply until Santana had forgotten what they were talking about. She felt Brittany's thigh slip in between hers, their bodies a perfect fit. Brittany rocked forward, the movement causing Santana to gasp lightly.

Brittany pulled back and smiled before leaning down to kiss Santana again. Santana kissed her back desperately, putting her hand on the back of Brittany's neck to draw her closer.

She felt Brittany's hands under her shirt, pulling it off and interrupting their kiss. Brittany continued with Santana's bra, kissing her neck as she deftly maneuvered around the clasp.

Santana kept her eyes closed as Brittany's finger pulled on the edge of her jeans, unbuttoning them. She pulled them down, her lips still on Santana's neck. Santana kicked off her jeans as Brittany hooked her finger around the waistband of her underwear, tugging them down.

Santana lifted her body up, allowing Brittany to pull them all the way off. She fidgeted slightly, before reaching for Brittany's tank top and pulling it over head.

She pulled Brittany down for another kiss, keeping their mouths locked as she unhooked Brittany's bra, letting it drop to the floor. As she reached for Brittany's underwear, Brittany grabbed her hands, guiding them over her body.

Santana felt Brittany's smooth skin, slightly warm from the excitement she must have been feeling. Santana swallowed as Brittany removed her hands from her own, leaving Santana's hands on Brittany's breasts. She felt the blonde shiver underneath her touch as she leaned down to kiss her.

Brittany rocked forward into her, and Santana tensed her legs. Brittany must have felt it because she reached down and massaged Santana's thighs, her lips still locked with Santana's.

Santana brought her knees up around Brittany, and squeezed her lightly. She felt Brittany's fingers slip into her, and Santana's hips jerked forward at her touch.

Santana gasped, rocking her hips into Brittany's hand, Brittany falling into sync with the rhythm.

Santana swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut. Brittany's lips were still on her own, and Santana kissed her bottom lip before gently biting down on it.

"Britt," she moaned loudly, unable to hold it back anymore.

She felt Brittany smile, as her fingers ventured deeper, leaving Santana gasping for air. She breathed in raggedly, unable to get a full breath. She felt Brittany quicken her pace, and the feeling of pleasure shot all through her, from the tips of her fingers to the end of her toes.

She squeezed her legs around Brittany even tighter as she felt her fingers reach even deeper. Brittany was kissing her neck now, and Santana leaned her head to the side, feeling Brittany's soft lips against her skin.

Santana moaned again loudly, as she neared the edge. Brittany was so close now, and with one swift, fluid motion, she sent Santana tumbling over the edge into ecstasy, her muscles contracting and releasing as pleasure coursed through her body.

"Oh my g – ," Santana managed to choke out, before her words dissolved into another loud moan.

Brittany leaned down and kissed her, the blonde's breathing almost as ragged as her own.

Santana's thighs shook from the pleasure, still tensed around Brittany.

She took a deep breath in, letting it out before pulling Brittany down into another deep kiss.

As her normal breathing pattern resumed, Santana rolled over smoothly, topping the blonde and leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"Your turn."


	20. Thanksgiving

It was Thanksgiving day, and Santana sat at the kitchen table, watching her grandma and Brittany bustle around the kitchen. She was leaning her head on her hand, a goofy smile on her face as she stared at the tall blonde.

"Santana! Que estas haciendo?" her grandma yelled at her.

Santana blinked, surprised.

"You told Brittany to come_ help, _not do all the work."

"Chill, abuela," Santana said, getting up and walking over to her grandma to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Do not tell me to 'chill,' Santana. Brittany is our guest, and you have her slaving away like a dog."

Santana looked at Brittany, who was stifling a giggle.

Santana shrugged.

"I can't cook, remember?"

"It's okay, Mrs. Lopez," Brittany said, smiling widely."I don't mind. Besides, I'm not sure if anyone would enjoy any of Santana's burnt cooking anyways."

Santana shot her a look, frowning.

"It was one time," she whined, turning red at the fact that her grandma and Brittany were laughing at her.

"Tienes razon, Brittany," Santana's grandma said. "Well at least make yourself useful and wash some dishes, Santana."

Santana rolled her eyes playfully and smiled, starting on the pile of dishes in the sink. Brittany stood next to her, stirring some mashed potatoes.

"I'm kind of nervous," Brittany whispered, barely audible over the running water.

Santana looked over, surprised.

"What? Why, Britt?"

"What if your parents don't like me? Or what if I say something stupid?"

Santana watched as Brittany frowned and bit her lip.

"Come on, Britt. They'll love you. My grandma is the toughest nut to crack in this family, so if you can get her to like you, you can get anyone to like you."

She watched as Brittany smiled up at her.

"Thanks, San." Santana smiled back, finishing the dishes. It took everything in her not to lean over and kiss Brittany.

"Well, it looks like I'm done here," she said, wiping her hands on her pants and walking back over to the kitchen table.

"Oh no you, don't," her grandma said, pulling her arm before she got a chance to sit.

Santana groaned.

"What now, abuela?"

"So long as Brittany is standing, you are going to stand next to her. Anything she needs, you're going to do it for her."

Santana smiled. "Fine," she fake complained, rolling her eyes at Brittany, who stuck her tongue out at her.

"Good. I'll get started on the turkey. Let me know if you have any problems, Brittany," Santana's grandma said, narrowing her eyes at Santana.

"I'll be good, abuela, I swear," Santana said.

"You better," her grandma said, before heading out to the back to smoke the turkey.

Santana leaned against the counter, watching the blonde work, smiling in anticipation of spending her first Thanksgiving with Brittany.

* * *

Santana was right, and as her family sat around the table, it was clear that they loved Brittany.

Santana sat by her grandma while Brittany sat by her mom, her dad at the head of the table. Santana made sure, though, that her and Brittany were facing each other. She smiled as she watched Brittany politely answer all of her parents' questions.

"Dayton, huh?" her mom said, in between bites of mashed potatoes. "Oh, Brittany these mashed potatoes are delicious."

"Yes ma'am, and thank you," Brittany said smiling.

"I'm surprised Santana brought a friend over," Santana's dad said. "She's always been more of a lone wolf."

"Well, Britt was new and stuff, so I decided to, you know, show her around. And stuff," Santana said, trying to defend herself.

Her dad raised an eyebrow at her.

"Si, that's what I said," Santana's abuela chimed in. "Who knew our little Santana was such a care-giver."

Santana turned red as everyone laughed lightly.

"Well, I'm glad Santana has a friend like you, Brittany. Since me and her papi are always working, the person she has the most contact with is her abuela. It'll be good for her to be around someone her own age for a change."

Santana watched the red creep into Brittany's cheeks.

"I'm kind of in the same boat, to be honest," Brittany said. "Except I don't have a grandma. My parents work a lot, so I'm usually home alone."

"Well, you're always welcome here, chica," Santana's mom said, reaching over and patting Brittany's hand.

"They've actually been spending quite a lot of time together, Maria," Santana's abuela said to Santana's mom. "If Brittany's not here, then Santana's over there."

"Well, good. Santana could use more friends like you, Brittany," Santana's mom said, squeezing Brittany's hand.

"Brittany's enough for me, mami," Santana said, smiling, keeping her eyes on the blonde across from her.

* * *

It was 7:30 PM, and Santana was sitting beside Brittany, facing her parents who were sitting on the other side of the table.

Santana had never really been around Brittany's house before; whenever she came over, she usually just went straight up the stairs to Brittany's room.

She was taken aback at how big their dining room was, the long, elegant dining table looking like something out of a Masterpiece Classic series.

The atmosphere was different in the Pierce home, and the formality made Santana shift nervously in her seat. She felt Brittany's hand on her thigh, rubbing it up and down to comfort her. Santana looked at the blonde, and smiled.

"So, Santana, you know you're a household name around here," Brittany's dad said.

Santana smiled, and blushed.

"Whenever we're home, you're all Brittany can ever talk about."

"Mhm, he's right, you know. It's like we already know you," Brittany's mom added.

Santana smiled, and looked at Brittany who was blushing.

"Yeah, Brittany's my best friend," Santana said, not feeling as nervous.

"Yeah, we're best friends," Brittany repeated after her.

She held Brittany's hand under the table, giving it a squeeze.

"Well, we're glad Brittany has found such a good friend here in Lima. Since her father and I are always working, she's usually home alone. We're glad that she has someone to spend time with. So, thank you, Santana."

"The pleasure is truly all mine, Mrs. Pierce," Santana said smiling.

She looked over at Brittany, who smiled back.

_Thank you, God, for giving me Brittany,_ Santana thought to herself.

She had never been more thankful for anything in her entire life.

* * *

Santana sat on Brittany's bed, playing with the stuffed cat that sat next to her. It was so fat, it looked like it would burst at the seams at any minute.

Santana's parents had gone to work and her grandma had knocked out early, tired from cooking all day, so Brittany invited her to sleep over.

"My parents don't mind, San, honest," the blonde had said. "They're just glad I have a friend here."

Santana pulled the stuffed animal onto her lap.

"Britt, what the hell is this stuffed with?"

She was surprised at how heavy it was.

"Who? Lord Tubbington? I'm not sure, to be honest. I've had him ever since I was little. My parents gave him to me because they wouldn't let me get a real cat."

Brittany walked over, scooping the stuffed cat in her arms.

"I was upset at first, but he feels so much like a real cat, that it satisfies me."

"More like two cats," Santana mumbled under her breath.

Brittany frowned at her playfully.

"Hey, be nice."

Santana laid back on the bed, and Brittany laid next to her.

"When do you think we can tell our parents? You know, about us?" Brittany whispered, still cuddling the stuffed animal.

Santana turned over to face her. She bit her lip, imagining the scenario of her coming out to her parents. She shook her head.

"Uhm, I'm not sure, Britt. Do we have to?"

"Well, I mean, I just want to be able to hold your hand around them. Or kiss you on the cheek or something. I mean, we hold hands at school and stuff, but what about around your family? Wouldn't you be more comfortable doing that stuff around them?"

Santana sighed.

"To be honest, Britt, I think I'm _more_ uncomfortable doing that stuff around my family."

Santana knew how they would react, especially her grandma, who had been born and raised Catholic.

"Well, how about around my parents? I mean, they've always been really open-minded, and stuff like this has never really bothered them."

Brittany sat up, pulling Santana to sit up with her.

"I don't know, Britt. I mean, it's up to you. They're your parents."

Brittany squealed and hugged her.

"Let's go tell them right now!"

Santana swallowed nervously as Brittany held her hand, pulling her down the stairs.

Santana had just met the Pierces, and despite Brittany's reassurance that they would be fine with it, she was still unsure.

Brittany's parents were sitting in the living room in front of the fireplace, snuggled up together on the couch.

"Mom, dad," Brittany said, still holding Santana's hand.

Santana shifted her weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"Yeah, sweetie, what's up?" her dad said, sitting up straight.

"You know how me and San are best friends?" Brittany said, eagerly waiting for her parents to respond.

"Yes, honey, we know," her mom said, chuckling lightly.

"Well, that's not all she is. Mom, dad, Santana's my girlfriend."

Santana looked down, her face turning bright red.

"Uh – well, that's great, honey!" Brittany's mom said, standing up and pulling the two girls into a hug.

Santana let out the breath she was holding, her body relaxing.

"Makes sense, you know, the way Brittany talks about you," Brittany's dad said laughing, also getting up to give them a hug.

"And the way you were looking at her at the dinner table, Brittany," he added, making Brittany blush. "I'm surprised we didn't figure it out sooner."

Santana smiled. Brittany's parents resumed their position on the couch, and Brittany ran up to them, giving them both kisses on the cheeks.

"Thanks mom and dad, I knew you would love her as much as I did."

Her parents laughed.

"Okay, well goodnight, guys!" Brittany called over her shoulder, pulling Santana towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, girls! And no funny business up there, Brittany!" her mom called.

Santana swallowed, turning bright red.

"Don't worry, mom! Love you, night!" Santana looked at Brittany, who was smiling widely at her.

"See? I knew they would love you," she said, giving Santana kiss on the nose, before going up the stairs.

Santana smiled back.

"Your parents are so chill, Britt. You're really lucky. I'm almost a hundred percent sure my parents would _not _react that way," Santana said, walking into Brittany's room and sitting down on the bed.

"It's okay, San," Brittany said, standing in front of Santana and taking her hands into her own. "When you're ready, we'll tell them."

Santana smiled, pulling Brittany down into a hug.

"Thank you, Britt. I love you. So much."

"I love you too," Brittany said back, kissing her on the lips.

She pulled back, still holding Santana's hands.

"So, Sweet Valley High, and cuddling?"

"Definitely," Santana said smiling.

She stood up, wrapping her arms around Brittany's neck and pulling her in for a kiss.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Britt."

* * *

**A/N: Hey, everyone! I'm sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. This is the longest it's ever taken me to update, I think. I'm sorry. It's just that there's been a lot going on with school and family and friends. Mostly, though, I really wanted to post this chapter at around the same time as the actual holiday. So, here you go! I hope everyone enjoys. Reviews are always welcome (: Thank you guys, again!**


	21. Silver Christmas

The school days between Thanksgiving break and Christmas break went by like a blur, and before Brittany knew it, it was already Christmas break.

She loved Christmas time – the decorations, the songs, the weather, how people seemed genuinely happy.

This Christmas was going to be really good, especially since she had Santana. She smiled at the thought of the Latina as she walked down the street towards Breadtsix.

This time, it was her who insisted on a date night, and like their other date night, they agreed not to see each other until the actual night of the date.

"Actually, you don't have to pick me up, San," Brittany had told Santana over the phone. "I wanna walk around town and see the decorations anyways."

"Are you sure, Britt? I mean, it's gonna be even colder later tonight."

Even over the phone, Brittany could hear the concern in Santana's voice.

"I'll be fine, babe. I'll see you at Breadstix. I love you."

"Alright," Santana said reluctantly, "I'll see you tonight. Be safe, Britt. I love you too."

As Brittany neared the restaurant, she sat down on the bench in front. She looked at the time on her phone. She was thirty minutes early.

As much as she did want to see the decorations, she mostly wanted to walk so she could clear her mind.

She put her hands in her pockets, the rings jingling around. She pulled them out and examined them. The rings were just silver bands, no decoration or anything.

Brittany had seen them one day in a corner shop when she and Santana were walking around town one day, and she knew she wanted them.

She closed her hand around the rings, the metal cold from the exposure to the winter air. She put her hand back in her pocket and nervously squeezed her hand around the rings.

_What if this scares her off? I mean, it's not like I'm proposing or anything. I just want to show her how much I love her._

Brittany shifted around anxiously. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea.

_But then again, I know she loves me, and I love her._

She sighed, her breath visible in the cold air.

She let the rings fall into her pocket, listening for the jingling sound.

It didn't matter that she had only known Santana for about five months; those five months had been the best of her life, and she never wanted to go back. She had never been so sure of anything in her life.

She heard a car pull up behind her, and she turned around.

"Hey Britt-Britt," Santana said walking up and smiling.

"San!" Brittany yelled, pulling her into a hug.

"You said 8, right?"

"Yeah," Brittany said, still hugging Santana.

"It's only 7:50. Why were you here so early?"

Brittany pulled away and cleared her throat.

"I just – I couldn't wait to see you," she said, before giving Santana a small kiss on the cheek.

"If you say so, Britt," Santana said laughing. "Let's go inside."

They sat down and ordered, and Brittany felt Santana's hand on her own.

Santana had become more comfortable with her public displays of affection toward Brittany – not so much worried anymore about what other might think – and Brittany was glad. She liked being able to hold her girlfriend's hand in public.

Brittany turned her hand over so they were palm to palm.

"Britt, why are your hands so cold?"

Brittany pulled her hand back, nervously holding them in her lap.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked, her brown eyes full of worry.

Brittany could feel her heart jumping around in her chest, her stomach twisting into knots. She opened her mouth to speak just as the waiter came back with their food.

"Thanks," Brittany mumbled, slightly annoyed at his ill timing.

"Britt?" Santana said questioningly.

Brittany let out a sigh, and bit her lip nervously.

"San, you know I love you, right? I mean, I have never loved anyone the way I love you."

Santana smiled.

"I know, Britt. Me too."

Brittany put her hand in her pocket, squeezing the rings. She pulled them out, holding her closed fist in front of her. She opened her hand, taking one and grabbing Santana's hand, sliding it onto her left ring finger.

"Merry Christmas, San," Brittany said quietly, quickly glancing up to see Santana's reaction before looking back down.

The Latina stared down at her hand, her mouth slightly open.

Brittany swallowed.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no._

To her surprise, Santana grabbed the other ring, sliding it onto Brittany's finger.

"I love you, Britt. This is the best Christmas present. Ever."

Brittany looked up, her mouth pulled into a wide smile. She squeezed Santana's hand, kissing it before letting it go.

"So, does this mean we're married?" Santana asked, inspecting the silver band around her finger.

Brittany looked up.

"Well, I mean, I just kind of wanted to give you something to show you how much I love you. Like, I'm yours, and you're mine."

Santana smiled.

"I'll never take it off, Britt."

* * *

At Brittany's request, they spent the night at Santana's house. They laid on the bed next to each other, holding hands. Brittany liked the feeling of Santana's ring against her skin as their fingers intertwined.

Brittany closed her eyes, smiling, happy at how the night had turned out.

She felt Santana shift around, and Brittany opened her eyes as the Latina rolled over on top, straddling her. She leaned down, her long, dark hair tickling Brittany's face. Brittany smiled and scrunched up her face. Santana giggled.

"You're so cute, Britt."

Brittany just smiled back, placing her hands on Santana's thighs. Santana grabbed Brittany's hand and looked at her ring.

"I think we should get married, Britt," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Brittany's eyes widened, surprised at what Santana was saying.

"I mean, I don't mean now, or like next month or even next year. Hell, I don't even think it's legal in Ohio. I just mean that I don't ever want to be with anyone else besides you. And I know we're young, but I know how I feel about you. I don't think I've ever been so sure of anything else in my entire life."

Brittany looked at the Latina, whose face was covered by her hair as she stared down at Brittany's hand, still playing with the ring.

Brittany reached up, grabbing Santana's face and pulling her into a kiss.

"Neither have I, baby," Brittany whispered softly against Santana's lips.

"Will you marry me, Brittany?" Santana said, her lips still pressed against Brittany's.

Brittany kissed her again.

"Of course I will, babe. Of course I will."

* * *

**A/N: First of all, Merry Christmas everybody! Sorry this took so long, but like the Thanksgiving one, I wanted to post it at around the time of the actual holiday, so here's some Christmas-y Brittana fluff for all of you! I hope you like it (: Don't worry, the next updates will definitely NOT take as long as these past two have been, but thanks to all of you who are still sticking around. I truly appreciate all of you. Reviews are always welcome (: Thanks to all of you, and Merry Christmas, again! :D**


	22. For Better or For Worse

It was the third week of school back from Christmas break, and for some reason the weather wasn't quite as cold. It was still freezing outside, but the December snow had melted into January rain.

"Snow would have been warmer," Santana said to herself, her teeth chattering as she got in her car to go pick up Brittany.

Brittany's parents had gotten her a new car for Christmas, but Santana insisted on picking her up, even if it was just on days that she didn't sleep over. Those days were few and far in between so Brittany conceded.

Santana pulled into the driveway, jumping out and grabbing an umbrella, escorting Brittany to the car. She shut the passenger side door, shook the rain off the umbrella and got in.

"Brrr," Brittany said, rubbing her hands together.

Santana looked over at her and smiled, leaning in for a kiss.

"Good morning, babe," Santana said, turning up the heat.

"Morning," Brittany said cheerfully, putting her hands to the air vent.

Santana grabbed one, placing it on her thigh and rubbing it up and down with her own hand, trying to warm it.

"Thanks, San," Brittany said smiling.

Santana just smiled back.

She lived for mornings like these.

* * *

Santana walked to her first period, still smiling from just having walked Brittany to her class.

Brittany always put her in the best mood.

She was a few feet from her classroom when she was pushed forward.

"What the fuck?" she yelled, turning around.

It was Quinn, but this time she had the Skanks with her.

Santana maintained her composure, but inside she was cautious. _This does not look good._

"Where's your little Barbie, Santana?" Quinn said, giving her a sickeningly sweet smile.

Two of the Skanks walked behind Santana, surrounding her.

"Shit," Santana whispered under her breath.

"Yeah, that's right, San. Where's your little Barbie to come protect you?"

Santana stood still, glaring at Quinn.

"I'm not gonna fight you Quinn," Santana said, her low voice almost a growl.

Her muscles were tensed, waiting for one the Skanks to grab her.

It didn't matter that they were in the middle of the hallway; the Skanks would attack anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Santana swallowed and gritted her teeth.

"Has my little Snix finally gone soft? I bet you think you're in love, don't you?"

Santana squeezed her fists, holding Snix back, her entire body quivering with anger. Quinn looked down at Santana's fists and her clenched jaw.

"Ah, there she is. I didn't think you still had it in you, Santana. I was sure that blonde bimbo had whipped Snix right out of you."

Santana took a step forward but was restricted by the two girls behind her. Her body shook in anger.

"Leave her the hell out of this, Quinn."

"Ooh, I've hit a nerve," Quinn said smiling, walking up to Santana until they were face to face.

"You think that hurts, Santana? Wait until I sink my claws into her. Let's see how much hurting her hurts you."

Snix pulled free from the two girls, lunging at Quinn, her hand against her throat. The Skanks moved in, ready to intervene.

"If you even so much as fucking look at her the wrong way, I swear it'll be the last thing you do, Fabray."

Snix could feel her grip getting tighter, but Quinn just smiled. Snix could feel the girl swallow under her hand. The bell rang, and Santana snapped back, taking a step backwards. Her hands had left a mark on Quinn's pale skin. Quinn touched her neck, still smiling.

"You know what they say, Santana. Misery loves company. Break up with your precious Barbie, or I'll do it for you. And I promise it'll be permanent."

Santana swallowed at the threat, her body still tense. She watched Quinn and her group of girls walk away.

Santana stood for while, hearing the late bell ring. Her muscles relaxed, and she could feel the fatigue that came from tensing them for so long.

She walked past her classroom, out the door, past the gym and towards the football field. It was pouring, but she walked anyway, her entire body soaked. She walked under the bleachers, shivering. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing out the smoke shakily.

She closed her eyes and leaned against a column, sliding down until she was sitting. She knocked her head against the cement column, wincing at the pain.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do now," she whispered.

She closed her eyes, sighing shakily.

She couldn't break up with Brittany. She was in love with her. They were gonna get married. She couldn't even remember what life was like without her.

But what would Quinn do if she didn't? She knew the threat was serious. When the Skanks set their sights on someone, they didn't stop until they got them, whether it was the next day, the next month, or the next year. Their threats had no expiration date.

Santana was lost. She didn't know what to do. It was either break up with Brittany and hurt her, or stay with her and wait until the Skanks hurt her.

Either way Brittany got hurt.

_But if I break up with her, I can control how much she gets hurt. I'd rather break her heart than see her physically get hurt. I'd rather it be me that hurt her than them._

She felt her throat close up as she realized what she had to do. She put out her cigarette and pulled her knees to her chest, letting a sob out.

Her shivering from the cold turned into hyperventilation as her sobs became harder and harder. She gulped for air, trying to breathe in between sobs, the cold air hurting her lungs.

She stood up and walked into the rain, glad that it disguised her tears. She stood with her arms around herself, allowing the rain to drench her, her teeth chattering uncontrollably and her body shaking violently from the cold, the freezing rain feeling like tiny needles stabbing into her skin.

She felt the hot tears run down her face, distinguishing themselves from the icy rain drops that also fell down her cheeks.

She swallowed, her mouth dry, and a nausea building up in her stomach.

_I need to do this. There's no other way._

"To keep Brittany safe," she whispered to herself, her words creating a cloud of vapor in the bitterly cold air.

She walked back under the shelter of the bleachers, sitting there for the rest of first and second period, allowing the cold to numb her body.

At the sound of the lunch bell, she walked back towards the school. She made her way to Brittany's locker, who she knew would be waiting for her.

She avoided people's stares as she walked down the hallway, soaking wet. She kept her eyes on the ground, hoping no one would see that she had been crying.

She walked up to Brittany, who gasped at the sight of her.

"Oh my gosh, San. What happened? Are you okay? What's wrong? You're freezing. And soaking wet. You're gonna get sick. Come on."

Santana allowed Brittany to lead her to the bathroom where she pulled her into a stall.

"San, how did you get caught in the rain? Weren't you in class?"

Santana couldn't bear to look Brittany in the eyes. She kept her eyes down, her arms wrapped around herself. Brittany reached out and rubbed her arms.

"You're freezing cold. Here, wear my hoodie."

Brittany pulled her sweatshirt over her head, hanging it over the stall door. She pulled up on Santana's shirt, who obediently raised her arms to allow Brittany to pull off the soaking material.

She shivered and hugged herself even tighter.

"Arms up, babe," Brittany said, carefully pulling the sweater down over Santana.

Santana winced at the sound of Brittany calling her babe, and her throat closed up as she smelled Brittany's scent surround her.

"Now, tell me what's wrong, Santana. Come on."

Brittany looked at her with worried eyes. Santana opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sob. She crumpled into a heap, Brittany catching her before she hit the floor.

"Hey, come on now. Are you sick? Do you want to go home? You took the car here, remember? I can drive you home, and I'll drop the car back off at yours after school."

Brittany's blue eyes were filled with concern as she held Santana, looking into her brown eyes. Santana squeezed her eyes shut avoiding her stare and letting the tears fall.

"It's okay, San. It's okay," Brittany whispered, running her fingers through Santana's hair to untangle the mess that the rain had made.

She gently wiped the tears away with her thumb, waiting for Santana to speak.

A few minutes later, Santana stood up on her own, breathing in deeply, the tears still falling.

"Brittany – " Santana choked. "Brittany, I'm breaking up with you," she whispered, her voice cracking.

She closed her eyes, unable to look into the face of the girl she loved.

"W-wait, what? Santana, are you serious?"

She could hear the disbelief and the hurt in Brittany's voice.

"Santana, look at me. Are you serious?"

Santana kept her eyes down.

Brittany grabbed her face, forcing her to look at her.

"Damn it, Santana! What the hell are you talking about!" Brittany yelled angrily. Santana tore away from Brittany, shrugging off Brittany's hands away from her face.

"Why are you doing this?" Brittany half whispered, her yells reduced to sobs.  
"I thought we were happy. I thought you loved me. We were going to get married," she whispered between tears.

"It's over, Brittany. I'm sorry," Santana said quietly, opening the stall, and walking out.

She couldn't look back. She knew that if she did, she'd go running back, apologizing.

She felt a pain in her chest shoot to every part of her body, and she staggered to the door.

_Don't be fucking selfish, Santana, _she warned herself.

_It's the only only way to keep her safe. If you really love her, then keep walking._

She walked out the bathroom, hearing Brittany's sobs as the door closed behind her.


	23. Break Down

Brittany laid on her bed in the dark.

It had been a week since she had last seen Santana.

She thought about that day in the bathroom, a pain spreading across her chest and tears pricking the corner of her eyes. She blinked hard, allowing the tears to fall.

This was the longest she had been without the Latina, and since that day, all she had done was cry.

Sure, she'd go to school, but just barely. She'd go to her classes in a catatonic state, just going through the motions. People would ask her if she was okay, and she would just nod, too tired to speak. She didn't even bother looking around for Santana at school. When Santana wanted to disappear, she was gone. Without a trace.

She spent her days lying in her room crying, and just when she thought she couldn't cry anymore, she would remember something about Santana – her smile, or the nervous way she'd fidget whenever she came over – and a new round of tears would fall again.

Brittany turned over, hugging her pillow to her chest. It still smelled like Santana's hair. She swallowed hard, before choking out a sob.

She felt like someone had just stabbed her in the chest, and the pain was radiating to every part of her body. She squeezed her hands into fists, feeling the ring on her finger.

She screamed into her pillow, her throat becoming raw. She looked down at her hand, staring at the ring. It felt so cold against her skin. She grabbed it in an attempt to pull it off, but all of a sudden she felt too tired.

She tried taking a deep breath in, but her continuous sobbing made it impossible, and she coughed violently instead.

Everything in her body hurt – her eyes were swollen from crying, her throat raw from screaming, and everything else ached from missing Santana.

"Enough is enough," Brittany said out loud, her voice hoarse from the crying and screaming, as she wiped the tears from her face.

"I need to know what happened."

* * *

Brittany walked outside, the cold wind blasting her in the face. The weather had gotten colder, and it started snowing again.

She wrapped her arms around herself and trudged in the snow, making her way towards Lima Heights.

She didn't know what to expect. After all, Santana had broken up with _her._

She stood in front of the apartment door, unsure if this was really what she wanted to do. She let the cold fill her body, as she stood, thinking.

_What if she's not home? Or what if she doesn't want to see me?_

Brittany could feel the pain in her chest again as she remembered the sight of Santana walking away from her.

Tears fell down her face as she stared at the door in front of her, remembering the first time she walked through it. That time, it had been Santana who had been crying.

She stood for another few minutes just staring, remembering all the times she walked past this door to Santana's room, laying in her arms – the only place she ever felt truly safe and happy. She swallowed hard, and knocked on the door. It was Santana's grandma who answered the door.

"Brittany!" the elderly woman said, surprised. "Come in, come in! Hace frio!"

She pulled Brittany inside, taking her to the kitchen and letting her sit.

Brittany looked around the house.

It was amazing how everything still looked the same even though now everything was different. She looked over at the stove, remembering when Santana had tried to cook her breakfast. She felt the tears coming back up, and she swallowed.

"I haven't seen you in a while, chica, but I think it's for the best. I wouldn't want you to catch whatever Santana has. She hasn't been feeling very well lately. All she's been doing besides going to school is sleeping. She doesn't even eat unless I force her. She doesn't have a fever, but it definitely looks like it could be a really bad cold. She's been sniffling a lot."

Brittany gritted her teeth, imagining Santana crying herself to sleep like she herself had been doing the last week.

"It's bad timing, too," Santana's grandma continued. "I'm moving out soon."

Brittany looked up in surprise.

"I take it Santana hasn't told you, yet, huh?"

_I haven't even seen her, let alone talked to her, _Brittany thought to herself.

"Well," the elderly woman continued, "I got a better job over in Findlay, about 30 minutes away from here. I found a small place that was near where I work, so I'm moving at the end of this month."

Brittany looked down and furrowed her eyebrows.

_Everything _is _changing._

"Santana has been taking it a little hard, to be honest. I think that's partly why she stays in her room all day."

"Is it okay if I see her?" Brittany asked quietly, trying to hide the rawness of her voice.

"Of course, Brittany. I'm sure seeing you will cheer her up. You've always been such a good friend to mi nieta. She'll need you more than ever now that I'm leaving."

Brittany stood up, walking over and giving the woman a tight hug.

"Thank you," she said, before walking towards Santana's room.

Brittany knocked lightly on the door.

"I'm fine, abuelita. I told you, no tengo hambre."

Santana's voice was hoarse and stuffy, and Brittany knew it was because she had been crying. Her own voice sounded the same. She turned the knob and walked in.

"Abuelita, I said – Brittany," Santana said.

She sounded too tired to even add the surprise that Brittany knew she felt from seeing her there in her bedroom.

"Hi," Brittany said in a small voice.

Santana sat up in her bed, and looked down.

Brittany just stood in the doorway, looking at the girl sitting on the bed, the comforter pulled around her, her hair messy and her eyes red and puffy.

_She looks so small and fragile._

Brittany felt her throat close up as the tears threatened to resume their pathway down her face.

"This was a bad idea. I'm sorry," Brittany choked out, turning to leave.

She had only gotten about three steps away when she felt something pulling her back. Santana was grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Brittany," Santana sobbed. "I'm so, so, so sorry."

Brittany felt that her neck was wet, and she wasn't sure if it was from her or Santana's tears. She felt Santana's body shaking against hers as she sobbed, and Brittany sobbed too until she was unable to distinguish whose tears were whose and whose body was shaking from sobs.

They stood for another minute, before Brittany pulled back, wiping her face with the back of her sleeve.

She looked at Santana, whose head was down, her unruly hair covering her face. Brittany pushed her hair back, revealing Santana's tear stained face, her eyes swollen from what Brittany knew was a week of crying. She cupped Santana's face in her hands, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears. She pulled Santana's face to hers, giving her a light kiss on the lips, tasting the saltiness of her tears.

"Come on, San. Let's talk."

They sat on Santana's bed, facing each other. It reminded Brittany of the day Santana and Quinn fought.

The Latina still had tears falling down her face.

"What's wrong, San? Please, just talk to me. Don't you love me anymore?"

Brittany whispered her last question, unsure of how Santana would respond.

Santana crawled towards her, sitting in Brittany's lap and burying her head in her shoulder.

"Of course I love you, Britt. I could never _not _love you."

Her words were muffled as she spoke into Brittany's shoulder.

Brittany grabbed Santana's left hand with her own, clinking their rings together. Santana looked up at the sound.

"Do you still wanna marry me, San?" Brittany whispered.

"Of course I do," the Latina said in a small voice.

"Then why? Why did you break up with me? What did I do? We promised we'd never hurt each other, Santana."

Brittany's voice was loud, but she could feel it shaking, the tears threatening.

She felt Santana sigh deeply.

"I had to protect you, Brittany."

Brittany pulled back and stared at Santana whose head was still down.

"Protect me from what?"

"From Quinn and the Skanks."

Brittany had only heard rumors about the Skanks, but from what she heard, she knew they were not to be messed with.

"Wait, what?" Brittany was genuinely confused.

Santana crawled out of her lap, and stood up, walking to her dresser, her back to Brittany.

"She threatened you, Britt. She threatened you because she knows I love you."

"Wait, what?" Brittany asked again, still confused.

"She said that if I didn't break up with you, she'd break us up herself. Permanently."

Brittany sat for a second, still trying to put the pieces together.

As the realization hit her, she gasped.

Santana turned around and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of Brittany and grabbing her hands.

"That's why I did it, Britt. That's why I broke up with you. I never wanted to hurt you, but I had to. It was either break your heart or stay with you and wait for them to hurt you."

Brittany stared at Santana who had started sobbing again.

She pulled Santana up onto the bed, and hugged her, whispering in her ear, "It's okay, San. It's okay."

Santana pulled back.

"No it's not, Britt. Not this time. If I stay with you, they're gonna hurt you."

Brittany's eyes widened.

"Listen, San. It's just a stupid threat. You don't think she'd actually try to – " her question was answered as she stared into Santana's eyes.

"This isn't some simple playground bullying, Britt. These girls are serious."

Brittany watched as Santana buried her face into her hands.

"It's okay, San," Brittany repeated.

"No it's not," Santana repeated back, sobbing.  
"It's either I hurt you or wait for them to hurt you. Either way you get hurt, Britt. I can't protect you."

Santana sobbed even harder.

Brittany pulled the crying girl onto her lap.

"It's okay. Look at me, Santana. _Look at me_," she said cupping her hands around the Latina's face and bringing it close to her own.  
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself, and I know that you would never let anything happen to me."

Santana looked up at her, sniffling.

"As cliché as this sounds, I know we can get through this. We can't let Quinn control us. I love you, and you love me. When I'm with you, I feel like I finally belong. Like I'm finally where I'm supposed to be in this world. And I'll be damned if I let some little pink-haired girl with a grudge take that away from me. I love you, Santana. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else in this world. All I know about you and I is that because of that, I think anything's possible."

Santana pulled her into a hug, and Brittany hugged her back, tears streaming down her face.

"I love you so much, Brittany. I'm so sorry. It's just that if anything were to happen to you because of me, I would never be able to live with myself."

Brittany grabbed Santana by the shoulders, holding her at arm's length.

"Nothing's gonna happen to me or to you or to us, okay? Nothing."

She pulled Santana in, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She felt the smaller girl's body relax as she leaned against her. Brittany rubbed small circles in her back to comfort her.

"What are we gonna do, San?" Brittany asked, the seriousness of the matter finally sinking in.

"We'll have to avoid each other at school, Britt. It's the only way. I'll never be a few feet away from you, though, I swear. And we can meet up after school like usual, at my house or yours. Just not in public."

Brittany sighed. Her head hurt from crying so much and even more from all these rules that she and Santana had to set up just to see each other.

"I know it's hard, Britt, but it's the only way. The only way we can still see each other and keep you safe."

Brittany gave Santana a tired smile.

"As long as I get to see you."

Santana gave her a small smile, shifting so they were both lying down. She gently pushed Brittany over so she could spoon her. Brittany smiled at the feeling of the smaller girl holding her from behind. She felt Santana's arm reach over her, and she looked down at her hand, the ring reflecting the tiny amount of light that was streaming into Santana's room. She twisted Santana's ring around her finger, staying quiet.

"If it was just Quinn, I could take her. I'm not afraid to cut a bitch," Santana said quietly.

"No, San," Brittany said loudly, gripping the Latina's wrist firmly. "You keep saying how much it would hurt if you lost me, but what about me? Don't you know how much it would kill me if I lost you?"

Brittany felt Santana sigh, and she loosened her grip.

"I was just getting used to people knowing about us, too. And now we have to hide it all over again."

Brittany turned over to face Santana.

"It's okay, San. I know we're together, and you know we're together. That's all that matters for now."

Santana gave her a smile before kissing her gently on the lips.

"I love you, Brittany."

"I love you, too."

* * *

**A/N: This is going to be long...**

**Okay. I realize that the last chapter got a lot of hate. It's expected, what with all the shit that's happening on Glee right now with Brittana and so on, but I am not going to apologize for my writing. I wrote that chapter way, way, way before Glee broke Brittana up. I think I even wrote that particular chapter before Season 4 even started. You see, I have most of this story written out already, and just a few months ago, I started posting chapters so I could get them up quickly and readers wouldn't have to wait too long for an update (with an exception to the holiday ones). With that said, I still consider this good writing, although I know some of you clearly disagree. But I know where this story is going and I know where I want it to go. Like I said, I already have most of it written out.**

** That chapter is what's called a bump in the road, and it happens in many relationships, as many of you know. Maybe not as drastic with threats and drama and all, but still. If I wrote this entire story with just pure fluff, I would not only be cheating myself out of the challenge of writing something good and interesting, but also you as readers who are looking for an actual story with an actual plot, not some fluffy one-shot piece where everything is rainbows and unicorns all the time. If I wanted to do that, I would not have sat here for like 6 months writing out this story. I would have spit out a 30 minute fluff piece for all of you to enjoy and sat back and enjoyed all the positive comments. **

**It's easy to write Brittana being together, at least in my opinion, because they are clearly in love with each other and clearly soul mates. It's a challenge to write them breaking up. That being said, I am in NO WAY defending the writers of Glee or applauding them for challenging themselves and breaking Brittana up because they did it in the most fucked up way possible, with no actual acceptable reason. I hate that show, and I only watch it because I admire Naya Rivera and Heather Morris' talents in singing, acting, and dancing, not to mention that they're both pretty damn gorgeous and they have really good on-screen (and off-screen) chemistry together. Anyways, it was actually immensely difficult for me to write that chapter because of the fact that Brittany and Santana love each other so much that it was almost impossible for me to figure out a good reason as to why they would even fight, let alone even break up. Plus, it is really difficult as a writer to hurt a character, especially when you love them so much.**

** I didn't expect to get positive feedback from that chapter because it's not a positive chapter. But, I do resent the fact that some of you have judged this entire story's quality on that one chapter, especially when it's not even complete, and that it has been compared to the shit-show plot on Glee. I'm sorry if any part of this rant has offended any of you in any way, and if you decide to quit reading because of this, I completely understand. I just wanted to let you all know my side to all of this and where I stood. **

**Thank you to those of you who have kept on reading and who keep on reviewing. I appreciate the time that all of you take out of your day to read this story and leave reviews. It truly means a lot to me.**


	24. Together

Santana sat at a table by herself, absent-mindedly tracing Brittany's name onto the surface.

They had agreed not to be around each other at school so Brittany would be safe. But like she promised, she was never more than a few steps away from the blonde.

She looked up and sighed, staring at Brittany who was a few tables away.

Since they had been apart, people found Brittany more approachable, and she was already surrounded by a few a friends – a tall blonde boy who had an unusually large mouth, a lanky Asian boy, and of course, Rachel Berry.

Santana smiled at the sight of the blonde, but frowned, realizing she was the reason Brittany hadn't been making any friends.

She pulled out her phone.

_Looks like people like you more when I'm not around._

Santana put her phone down on the table, spinning it around, still staring at Brittany. Her phone buzzed.

_I could be surrounded by a million people who loved me, but if none of them were you, I couldn't care less. I love you._

Santana smiled at her phone, saving the text in a folder.

_I love you, too._

She sighed, still tracing Brittany's name into the table.

_At least Brittany's not alone._

She cheered up a little at this realization, tracing a heart after Brittany's name.

* * *

Santana laid on her bed, her arms wrapped around Brittany. If they were sitting up, Brittany would be sitting on her lap.

Santana entwined her legs with Brittany's trying to get as close as she could.

"Mmm, I missed you, Britt," she murmured into blonde hair.

"I missed you, too."

She felt Brittany turn over so they were facing each other.

"Babe."

"Hmm?" Santana mumbled, her eyes closed.

"Are you okay?"

Santana opened her eyes and stared into the blue ones looking back at her.

She turned on her back and bit her lip in thought.

"I guess so. I mean, everything kind of sucks right now, you know? Like, with the whole Quinn thing and not being able to be with you outside of our houses, and you know, with my abuela gone – "

Santana stopped talking, her thoughts getting away from her.

She looked at Brittany again, smiling.

"It's okay though, because I have you," she said, kissing Brittany on the nose.

Brittany smiled back.

"I miss her you know?" Santana whispered.

"I know, babe, I know," Brittany said, rubbing Santana's arm comfortingly.

"It's just, that she's always been here with me. Like, she practically raised me. And I know she's only like thirty minutes away, but I just hate being alone all the time."

Santana sighed, trying not to cry.

"It's okay, San," Brittany said, pulling Santana closer to her. "It's okay."

Santana breathed in shakily.

"I know, Britt. I love you," she said, turning away from Brittany and letting the blonde pull her in.

"Maybe I can keep you company," Brittany murmured into her ear.

"Hmm?" Santana said, a little light headed from the feeling of Brittany's breath in her ear.

"Well, I mean, since you're all alone here now."

Santana looked over her shoulder, a wide smile on her face.

"Really, Britt? You mean it? I mean, it is just me at home. You can stay over for more than one day at a time, you know? I'll even clear out a drawer for you."

Santana didn't even try to mask the excitement in her voice, making Brittany giggle.

"You're so cute when you get all pumped up about something," Brittany said, kissing Santana on the lips.

Santana gave Brittany another wide smile.

She blushed slightly before saying, "You know, I only act this way about you."

She turned over all the way and pulled Brittany in for a kiss, her problems starting to seem a million miles away.

"I love you," Santana whispered against Brittany's lips.

She felt Brittany smile.

"I love you, too."

Santana cuddled closer to Brittany, burying her face in her neck and taking in Brittany's scent.

"Mmmm," Santana mumbled, the sound vibrating against Brittany's skin.

She felt Brittany take in a small breath and she smiled.

"Mmmm," Santana mumbled again, making Brittany giggle.

"Stop, San, you know I'm ticklish."

"Oh really?" Santana said mischievously, reaching down and grabbing Brittany's sides.

Brittany squealed loudly.

"St – Stop! Sa – " Brittany managed to say, before her words dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Santana laughed too, the sound of the blonde's laughter so infectious.

After about five minutes of an intense tickle fight, Santana laid back on the bed, breathless.

She looked over at Brittany who was still giggling, her hair a mess in front of her face. Santana turned to face her and pushed her hair back, kissing her lightly.

"Hey, Britt?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you think you could dance for me? You said you used to, and I've never gotten a chance to actually see you in action."

Brittany sat up quickly, bouncing up and down.

"You really wanna see?" she said excitedly, making Santana laugh.

"Yes, Britt, I do."

Brittany stood up quickly and walked to her bag, pulling out her iPod and plugging it into the speakers on Santana's dresser.

Santana sat up against the headboard, smiling as she watched Brittany get ready.

Brittany clicked on a song; it was one of those songs that didn't actually have any words, just a beat. Santana nodded her head with the rhythm, a smile spreading over her face as she watched Brittany.

She watched Brittany's body in motion, moving in a way that Santana had never seen before. She felt her heart race as she watched the tall, slender blonde dance, moving with a grace that Santana didn't know was possible.

Santana watched her with wide eyes, leaning forward to watch closely.

She loved the way Brittany smiled and bit her lip while she danced and the way her eyes lit up.

When the song ended, Brittany stood in front of her, her hands on her hips.

"So what do you think," she said, slightly breathless.

Santana shook her head, and blinked, her contacts dry from prolonged exposure to the air.

"Oh my gosh, San, are you crying?" Brittany said with a giggle.

"No!" Santana shot back. "It's my contacts. They dried out."

"Sure," Brittany said playfully.

Santana still had her eyes closed as she felt Brittany get on the bed. Santana opened her eyes, her contacts finally re-moistened.

She smiled.

"To answer your question, I _loved _it. You're amazing, Britt. Like, seriously. You looked gorgeous."

Brittany smiled, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks, San!"

Santana laughed.

"You could totally do it professionally."

"Really?" Brittany said, her eyes wide.

Santana laid back down.

"Yes, really."

Brittany laid down beside her.

"I've always loved to dance. It's what I want to do with my life."

Santana smiled.

"I can totally see it, Britt. And I'll be there, in the front row, cheering you on."

Brittany smiled and kissed her.

"Thank you, San, really. You always know just what to say."

Santana just smiled and closed her eyes, cuddling closer to Brittany, imagining what their life would be like together in the future.


	25. Family Night

It was one of those Sunday nights that both of Brittany's parents had off, so of course, it was game night.

Santana frowned down at her phone when she got the text message from Brittany.

She knew Brittany had to spend time with her family, but she always just missed her so much when they weren't together. At least the next day was a planning day, and she could spend all day with Brittany.

Santana sighed and replied back.

_Okay, babe. I'll miss you. Have fun and tell your parents hello for me._

Santana laid back on her bed, turning over and burying her face in her pillow. She took a deep breath in.

"Mmmm," she mumbled, slowly breathing in the faint, familiar scent of Brittany's hair – vanilla and coconut.

She must have fallen asleep because she awoke to her phone ringing.

"Babe, are you busy tonight?"

Santana yawned and mumbled incoherently. She heard the blonde's bubbly laughter on the other end of the phone.

"Sorry, San! I didn't mean to wake you up!"

Santana mumbled again, but in actual words this time.

"It's okay, Britt. What'd you say?"

She could hear Brittany giggle again.

"Are you busy tonight?"

"Hmm. Nope. What could I be busy doing if you're not here?"

She listened as Brittany took in a small, slight gasp.

Santana smiled, proud she still had that effect on the blonde.

Brittany cleared her throat.

"Fair enough."

Santana could almost hear her blush over the phone.

"Why, what's up, babe?"

"Well, do you wanna come over for game night?"

Santana bit her lip before answering. As much as she wanted to spend time with Brittany, she knew her parents would want to spend at least some time with their daughter.

"No, it's okay, Britt. Your parents need some quality time with you. It's not fair that I've been keeping you all to myself. Just tell them I said hi, okay?"

"You can tell them yourself, San, because they're asking you to come over."

"Really?"

Brittany laughed.

"Really. See you at around 7:30?"

"Sure thing, babe. I'll be there."

"Good. I can't wait. I love you, San."

"Love you too, Britt."

* * *

Santana pulled into the Pierce's driveway, pulling up her handbrake and turning off the car. She breathed out and wiped her hands on her dress.

She was nervous.

The last time she had seen the Pierce parents was Thanksgiving, when Brittany decided to tell them that they were girlfriends. They took it really well, much better than Santana could have ever imagined.

Still, she was nervous.

They could have just been nice since it was the holidays. Or they were just too surprised to react any differently.

Santana checked her phone.

7:26.

She grabbed the bunch of flowers sitting in her passenger's seat and got out of the car. She closed the door, placing the flowers on the roof of the car. Both hands free, she smoothed down her dress.

It was a yellow sundress, quite different from the usual short, dark tight dresses she was used to wearing.

But she wanted to make a good second impression.

She leaned down and checked her reflection in the side mirror. She adjusted the yellow headband she wore to match her dress.

She took another deep breath in, grabbing the flowers and walking to the front door. Just before she could ring the doorbell, the door opened, and before she knew it, she was surrounded by the familiar feeling of Brittany's arms wrapped around her.

Santana took a deep breath in, the smell of coconut and vanilla all around her.

_So much better than hugging my pillow._

Brittany finally pulled away.

"Don't worry so much. You look gorgeous, baby," Brittany said smiling.

"You were watching me?"

Brittany, giggled.

"I heard you pull up. I wanted to be the first one you saw," Brittany said, smiling widely before gasping.

"What? What's wrong, Britt?"

"Your flowers. I crushed them," Brittany said sadly, looking down at the ground at the small flower head that had fallen from the bouquet.

"It's okay, baby. It looks better on you anyways," Santana said, scooping up the flower and placing it behind Brittany's ear.

Brittany smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

They walked into the house, pinkies linked, towards the kitchen.

"Let me find a vase,"' Brittany said, opening up cabinets and cupboards.

"Aha," she said finally, filling a vase with water and placing the flowers in it.

She turned around and Santana watched as her blue eyes scanned over her.

"Wow. You really do look so pretty, San."

Santana blushed slightly.

"Thanks, Britt," she said, tugging at her dress.

Brittany walked towards her, grabbing her hands.

"You look amazing, babe," she whispered, her voice low and her breath warm in Santana's ear.

Santana's breath hitched, her heart beating double time in the way it did whenever Brittany was this close to her.

"You're so cute when you're nervous," Brittany said giggling before kissing her on the nose.

"Hm, what's going on here?"

Santana leaned to the side, looking past Brittany to see Mr. Pierce standing there. Her eyes widened as her cheeks turned bright red.

"Daddy!" Brittany said, grabbing Santana's hand and pulling her towards her dad. "Look! Santana's here!"

He chuckled. It sounded like a deeper version of Brittany's laugh.

"I see that, Brittany. It's nice to see you again, Santana."

"You too, Mr. Pierce," Santana said, holding out her hand.

"Aw, come on now. You make my little girl happier than I've ever seen her. That deserves more than a handshake," he said, pulling Santana into a tight hug.

He smelled like clean clothes and cologne, but it wasn't strong and obnoxious like Puck's.

She smiled as he pulled away, and before she knew it, Brittany was standing beside her, holding her hand. Santana instantly felt more relaxed.

"She brought flowers," Brittany said smiling, touching the flower in her hair then pointing to the vase of flowers on the table.

"What's all the commotion?" a voice said from up the stairs.

Santana looked up to see Mrs. Pierce coming down the stairs, blonde hair flowing behind her.

"She's so pretty. Just like you, Britt," Santana whispered.

Brittany smiled.

"Mommy, Santana's here!"

"She is. You look very pretty, Santana. And so do those flowers," she said, looking at the vase on the table.

"That was lovely of you," she said, giving Santana a hug.

"Thank you. You look very pretty too, Mrs. Pierce," Santana said smiling.

She couldn't believe she had been so nervous.

"So is everyone ready for game night?" Mr. Pierce asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" Brittany said, pulling Santana towards the couch in the living room. They sat down, Brittany cuddled up into her side.

Santana looked nervously across the room at Mr. and Mrs. Pierce who were sitting on the opposite couch, but they were too snuggled up into each other to even notice her and Brittany.

She sighed.

_Brittany's so lucky._

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you two look really comfy over there," Mr. Pierce said playfully.

Santana blushed as Brittany looked at her.

"We are," Brittany said happily.

"Good, because we are too. How about we make this game night into a movie night?"

"Sounds great, hon," Mrs. Pierce said. "Girls?"

"Sounds good to me. Britt?"

"Sure. But only if I get to pick the movie," she said smiling.

Santana shrugged.

"I don't mind."

The Pierces laughed.

"All right, Brittany. Looks like Santana gave you the green light," Mrs. Pierce said, smiling.

Brittany got up and walked towards the entertainment center, kneeling down in front of it and picking through the movies. After a few minutes, she stood up, holding a movie over her head, beaming triumphantly.

"Titanic?" Mr. Pierce said questioningly.

"Yes!" Brittany said popping it into the player.

"Okay, Brittany. I'm gonna go make some popcorn."

"I'll help you sweetheart," Mrs. Pierce said, walking with her husband to the kitchen.

Brittany walked back over to Santana and sat down beside her. Santana leaned into her, feeling Brittany's arms around her.

"I didn't know you liked Titanic, Britt."

"It's okay, I guess."

Santana giggled.

"You guess? Then why'd you pick it?"

"Because it's three hours long."

Santana turned her face to look up at Brittany.

"Oh. What does that mean?"

"It means," Brittany began, kissing Santana lightly on the lips, "that I get to sit on this couch and cuddle with you for a while three hours and since it'll be kind of late when the movie ends, my parents will let you sleepover, all while spending quality time with my family."

Santana smiled widely.

"You're a genius, Brittany."

Brittany smiled before leaning down and kissing her again.

"Honey, I think these two love birds are trying to out-do us!" Mr. Pierce exclaimed, setting down the popcorn and grabbing his wife around the waist, dipping her and kissing her.

Mrs. Pierce smiled and blushed before sitting on the couch and pulling her husband down to do the same.

"Beat that," Brittany's dad said, smirking.

Santana watched as Brittany stuck her tongue out at her dad before resting her chin on Santana's head and grabbing the remote to press play.

As the movie began, Brittany leaned down and whispered, "I could beat him, you know. Right here, right now."

Brittany's low tone and the proximity of her mouth to her ear made Santana swallow hard.

"But I won't."

Santana let out a shaky breath.

"Popcorn?" Brittany's mom offered.

Santana, still reeling from Brittany's comments, fumbled for an answer.

"Huh? Oh, uhm –"

"No thanks, Mom. Maybe later," Brittany said, coming to Santana's rescue.

Santana looked up at her, smiling gratefully.

Brittany scrunched up her nose and smiled back, kissing her on the nose and settling back to watch the movie.

* * *

Santana woke up to Brittany gently shaking her awake.

"Babe, wake up. The movie's over."

Santana looked around sleepily, slowly remembering where she was.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Britt. I fell asleep."

"It's okay. Everyone did except me," Brittany said, gesturing towards her parents who were both asleep on the couch.

"Besides, you're really cute when you sleep," Brittany said smiling.

Santana stood up and stretched as Brittany turned off the movie. She walked over to where her parents were.

"Mom, Dad. Go to bed. The movie's over."

Her parents got up and groggily walked towards the stairs, leaning on each other for support.

"Santana please stay over. It's too late to drive all the way back across town," Mrs. Pierce called over her shoulder as she walked up the stairs, yawning.

"Goodnight girls," she said from the top of the stairs, before going into her room with her husband and closing the door.

Santana looked over at Brittany who had a wide smile on her face.

"Told you my plan would work."

Santana smiled back.

"Come on, San," Brittany said grabbing Santana's hand and smiling mischievously. "Let's see how quiet you can be when I find you something to do."

* * *

**A/N: Wrote this chapter especially for Celieera. I remember you said you'd love to see a San/Britt family game night. It turned into a movie night, but I hope you like it!**


	26. Valentine's Day

Brittany stood at the front door, her arms crossed over her chest and a smile on her face as she watched an exasperated Santana try and make it through the door, her arms full of gifts.

"Sure you don't need help, babe?" Brittany asked, her smile getting bigger as she watched Santana waddle up the stairs, trying to see over the stack of things in her arms, her oversized purse falling off her shoulder.

"No, Britt. I got it," Santana huffed determinedly.

Brittany giggled and threw her hands up, following behind Santana all the way to her room. Santana dropped all the gifts on the bed, and Brittany stood at the edge, admiring all of them.

"Uhm, I've never really had a real valentine before, so I'm not really sure what the protocol is," Santana said, slightly nervous.

Brittany smiled as she watched the blush creep into the Latina's cheeks.

Brittany looked back at all the gifts strewn about her bed. Among them were a giant stuffed teddy bear, boxes of candy, balloons, a giant card, and other Valentine's Day related items. The only stereotypical Valentine's Day gift that was missing was roses.

As if reading her thoughts, Santana reached into her purse, pulling out a bouquet of sunflowers.

"Because they're tall and blonde like you, Britt," Santana said, a wide smile on her face.

Brittany's eyes lit up and her mouth fell open as she took the flowers.

"Oh my – San, they're gorgeous!" Brittany squealed, giving Santana a quick kiss on the lips before rushing off to find a vase to put them in.

After placing them in a vase with some water, Brittany walked back to Santana, giving her a proper kiss.

"How did you even find these at this time of year?"

Even though it wasn't nearly as cold as it was, it was still too cold for sunflowers to just be growing around.

"I have my ways," Santana said, flashing Brittany a wink.

Brittany blushed, overwhelmed by Santana's material display of affection. She walked up to Santana, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close. The sudden movement surprised the Latina, and Brittany heard her gasp.

"So," Brittany began, her lips brushing the outside of Santana's ear.

"What's the plan?" Brittany said, using the sexiest, sultriest voice she had.

"Uhm, uh, I – " Santana stammered.

Brittany smiled, satisfied that she had gotten the reaction she wanted.

She giggled and pulled back, giving Santana a hug. She watched Santana sit down, eyes wide as she cleared her throat. Brittany smiled again before sitting sideways on Santana's lap, throwing her arms around the Latina's neck.

She laid her head on Santana's shoulder, whispering, "Thank you so much, San."

Santana laughed, finally over her little moment of speechlessness.

"I'm just glad you like all of it, Britt. I was scared I was being too cheesy."

"Not cheesy. _Romantic_," Brittany said, getting up to grab the giant stuffed bear. It was so big that when she hugged it, she couldn't even see over it.

_It's almost as heavy as Lord Tubbington. Almost._

She felt Santana grab her hand and pull her towards her.

"So, what _is _the plan tonight?" Santana asked.

Brittany but her lip.

"Uhm, well, I was hoping we could go out tonight."

She felt Santana let go of her hand and sigh, hearing the sheets rustle as Santana laid down.

Brittany sat down at the foot of the bed, putting the bear down so she could have a clear view of the Latina.

"You know how much I want to, Britt, but we can't."

Brittany crawled across the bed, lying next to Santana.

"But it's Valentine's Day," she said quietly, grabbing Santana's hand and playing with her ring. "I just want to take my girlfriend out to dinner."

She let go of Santana's hand, turning away from her, trying to hide the disappointment on her face. It was no use though, since it was so clear in her voice. She felt Santana reach over her and pull her over so they were facing each other again.

"I know, baby, I know. How about this? We'll order and pick it up, and we can have our own Valentine's Day dinner here. We can even light candles and stuff, if you want."

Brittany smiled.

"Can we build a fort instead?" she asked, excitedly.

Santana laughed.

"Sure, Britt. But we might have to skip the candles then."

Brittany grabbed Santana's face, giving her a deep kiss, their mouths melting together.

"I love you, San," Brittany said, before giving Santana a light peck on the lips.

"I love you, too, Britt."

* * *

Santana sat in the driver's seat, the smell of Breadstix filling the car as the food sat in the backseat. She grabbed Brittany's hand, feeling the warmth against her cold skin. She smiled as she took the nearest left turn.

"Uhm, San. This isn't the way home."

Santana just smiled at her.

"I know. I have a surprise," she said winking.

Brittany gave her an excited smile.

"I love surprises!"

Santana kept driving, her car slightly jostling over the unpaved dirt road. She felt Brittany squeeze her hand tighter, and Santana rubbed her thumb over Brittany's hand to reassure her.

"Kind of like a scene from a slasher film, huh?" Santana said jokingly.

"Yeah, but I know you'll protect me," Brittany said, scrunching up her nose and giving Santana a light kiss on the cheek.

Santana kept driving past trees and trees until she got to a small clearing in what looked like the middle of the forest. She turned off her car, switching off the headlights so they were in complete darkness. She looked over at Brittany who shifted nervously in her seat.

Santana grabbed her face, staring into her blue eyes before kissing her. She pulled away and smiled, getting out of the car and walking over to Brittany's side to open it.

"Come on, Britt. I wanna show you something."

She pulled Brittany by the hand, leading her towards the front of the car. She climbed on top, motioning for Brittany to follow suit. Santana laid back, watching Brittany carefully do the same.

"Okay, now look up," Santana said, holding Brittany's hand.

She heard the blonde gasp lightly.

"Oh my gosh, San. It's beautiful."

Santana followed Brittany's gaze upward at the sky. The stars were so bright that Santana felt like she could reach out and touch them. As beautiful as the sky was, she turned to stare at Brittany again.

"You're beautiful."

Brittany looked at her, and smiled before giving her a kiss.

"Thank you so much. This is the best Valentine's Day ever."

They laid on the hood of the car for a few more minutes, Brittany staring at the stars and Santana staring at Brittany. Brittany inched closer to Santana, and Santana felt her shiver.

"Let's get back in the car, babe. It's cold out here."

Brittany frowned.

"But I wanna keep looking at the stars."

"Hmm, well I have an idea."

Santana hopped off the car, extending her hand to Brittany, helping her do the same. She opened the door to the back seat, putting the food in the driver's seat. She crawled into the back, opening the other door, laying down, and waving for Brittany to join her. Because the seat was a little narrow, Brittany was half way laying on top of Santana.

"Am I squishing you?" Brittany said worriedly.

Santana giggled.

"No, Britt, you're not. I just want you to be comfortable."

Santana scooted up until her head was hanging out of the car door. Brittany did the same, and Santana saw her smile at the fact that she could again see the stars but not be out in the cold.

"You're so smart, San," she said, turning her head to kiss Santana.

Santana kissed her back, putting her arm under Brittany's neck, her hand draped over her shoulder. She turned on her side, pulling Brittany over in the same position so they were face to face.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Britt-Britt," she said smiling, giving her a light kiss on the lips. Santana wiggled out from under Brittany to get on top of her, straddling her on all fours. She reached over the blonde to pull the door by their heads shut.

"Watch your head, babe."

Brittany obeyed and scooted down. Santana was back on all fours, and she reached her leg out, hooking her foot around the door handle and pulling it shut, causing Brittany to bend her knees slightly.

"Finally. My gymnastics background being put to good use," Santana joked, as she looked down at Brittany. Brittany smiled, reaching up with both hands and entangling her fingers in Santana's hair. The contact made Santana shiver. Brittany pulled her down, catching her lips in a kiss.

"I could put your gymnastics skills to good use, too, you know," Brittany whispered before kissing her again.

Brittany's words and the fact that her tongue was now in Santana's mouth made he body tingle.

Brittany's hands slid up her arms, pulling her jacket off and working on her shirt. Santana pulled back, taking it off herself before leaning down to kiss Brittany's neck while taking off her clothes.

Pretty soon, they were both naked, and Santana shivered, unsure if it was from the cold or from anticipation. She knew Brittany was cold too, so she laid down directly on top of her, their body warmth instantly warming her. She swallowed as she felt every curve of Brittany's body against her bare skin.

Brittany reached for Santana's face, pulling her into a rough kiss, their mouths crashing together. Santana could feel Brittany's desire, and it fueled her own. Brittany's hands traveled up and down her body, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

Brittany's hands rested on her hips, her thumbs lightly grazing the sensitive spot in the hollow of her hip. Santana's gasped lightly, and she felt Brittany smile against her mouth. She pulled away, looking down at Brittany.

"Oh yeah?" she said mischievously.

Brittany quirked up an eyebrow, smiling and biting down on her bottom lip. Santana gave her a sly look before kissing Brittany's neck, finding her pulse point and sucking on it. She let her tongue move over the skin, finally hearing Brittany let out a shaky moan.

Santana giggled before moving back up to Brittany's mouth. Santana let her hands run down Brittany's body, only stopping over Brittany's breasts. She felt Brittany arch her back into her hands, and Santana let her hands linger for a second before continuing down Brittany's toned body.

Her hands got down to Brittany's thighs. Her legs were still bent, and Santana placed her hands on the inside of Brittany's knees, pushing her legs apart. The sudden movement made Brittany gasp, but she smiled up at Santana, reaching her head up for another kiss. Santana slipped her fingers inside Brittany, and she felt Brittany's hips jolt forward.

She started slowly, pulling her face back from Brittany's and watching the blonde squeeze her eyes shut and bite down on her lip. Before too long, Brittany was panting, her hips matching the rhythm of Santana's hand.

The movement and their heavy breathing caused the windows to fog up until it was nearly impossible to see outside of them.

Santana moved faster and deeper, feeling Brittany tighten around her fingers. She watched Brittany squeeze her eyes even tighter, her breathing louder and even more shallow.

"Open your eyes, baby," Santana whispered, her own breathing becoming ragged. "I want to see you."

Brittany's eyes flew open, and Santana locked eyes with her. She moved faster, Brittany's hips arching completely off the seat. She heard Brittany gasp before moaning loudly, the sound sending shivers down Santana's spine.

She watched as Brittany's eyes fluttered, finally closing as she lowered her hips back down onto the seat. She was still breathing heavily, a lazy smile across her face.

Santana kissed her lightly before whispering, "You are so beautiful."

Brittany opened her eyes and smiled, pulling Santana down to lay on her chest.

"I love you, San."

"I love you, too."

They laid there for a while, their breathing back to normal and the windows clear again. Santana had her eyes closed as she laid on Brittany's chest, when she heard a grumbling sound. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, looking down at Brittany. The blonde blushed and smiled shyly.

"I'm really hungry."

Santana giggled.

"Oh my gosh, Britt, I totally forgot about dinner."

Brittany smiled.

"I did too, but it sounds like my stomach didn't."

Santana giggled again, grabbing Brittany's clothes and dressing her before dressing herself.

"The food's probably really cold by now."

"That's okay, we'll heat it up. We're good at heating things up," Brittany said winking.

Santana smiled, kissing Brittany again lightly, murmuring against her lips, "Mmm, hopefully dessert is just as good."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this one is a little late, I'm having a semi stressed out week, but actually I'm posting this particular chapter early because next week (the actual week of Valentine's Day), I'm gonna be swamped with school that week which sucks. But anyways, Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Here's some Brittana Valentine's Day fluff to kinda ease the feels and creys from the last episode (Diva) and hopefully make your Valentine's Day a little sweeter. Thanks for reading and reviews are always welcome! (:**


	27. Sing

Brittany sat on the swing in the playground of Lima Heights, Santana sitting on the one beside her. It was almost the end of February, and the weather had warmed up considerably, but as the sun set, Brittany shivered against the cold seat of the swing, putting her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. She looked straight ahead, squinting at the sunset.

"It's so pretty, San," she whispered.

Santana reached over, and Brittany allowed her to pull her hand from her pocket and link their pinkies together, their hands hanging in the gap between the swings.

"It really is, Britt."

Brittany smiled and sighed contentedly.

"San," Brittany said, her eyes still fixed on the melting colors of orange and yellow the sun was making against the sky.

"Hm?" Santana mumbled.

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?"

Brittany looked at the Latina, whose eyes were closed. She swung their arms back and forth as she waited for Santana to answer. After a few minutes, Santana got up from the swing, gently shaking her pinky free from Brittany's.

Brittany grabbed the chains of the swing and twisted her head around to watch Santana walk behind her. She turned back around as she felt Santana's arms wrap around her, and Brittany smiled as the Latina slipped her hands into her hoodie's pocket. She felt Santana rest her chin on top of her head, and Brittany leaned back into the warm body behind her.

She closed her eyes, feeling the vibration of Santana's voice as she spoke.

"Well," Santana said before kissing the top of Brittany's head, "I've always loved to sing."

Brittany turned her head slightly and tilted it up to look at Santana.

"Really, San?"

Santana blushed and nodded shyly.

"I've never even heard you sing," Brittany said softly as she turned back around, leaning back against Santana again.

"I actually haven't sang for anyone except my family."

"Hmm," Brittany said, putting her left hand in her pocket and grabbing Santana's, clinking their rings together. "When we get married, we'll be family, right?"

Santana laughed.

"Right, Britt."

"Well, then can you sing for me?"

Brittany felt Santana shift behind her. Brittany sat still. She felt like she was supposed to tell Santana it was okay of she didn't want to, but she really wanted to hear her sing.

Santana cleared her throat behind her before saying, "Okay, babe."

"Really?" Brittany squealed, standing up suddenly, forgetting Santana's hands were in her pocket.

"Oomf," Santana grunted, as stumbled forward, getting checked by the swing.

"Ah! Sorry, San!" Brittany said, grabbing the swing before it could hit Santana again.

Santana laughed.

"You always manage to take my breath away, Britt."

Brittany smiled, and threw her arms around Santana's neck. She breathed in. Santana smelled warm, like vanilla.

"Are you really going to sing for me?" Brittany whispered.

"Well, you danced for me, so I guess it's only fair," Santana murmured into her ear, and Brittany felt her warm breath against her hair.

Brittany pulled back and smiled before giving Santana a light kiss.

"Remember though," Santana said as Brittany sat back down on the sing, "I've only sung in front of my family before, and I'm pretty sure they're obligated to tell me I'm good."

"I know you'll be great, babe," Brittany said reassuringly.

She watched Santana walk back over to her own swing and sit down. Brittany twisted her swing so she was facing the Latina. Santana cleared her throat and took a deep breath in. Brittany wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as soon as Santana opened her mouth and started singing, it seemed like the whole world just melted away.

_For you, there'll be no more crying  
For you, the sun will be shining  
And I feel that when I'm with you,  
it's alright I know that it's right._

Brittany swallowed, and she felt goosebumps form on her arms. She felt like she was in a trance, like she and Santana were the only two people that existed.

_To you, I'll give the world  
To you, I'll never be cold  
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,  
It's alright, I know it's right._

Brittany was sure that she had never heard anything so beautiful in her life. Santana's voice was smooth but raspy, quiet but strong.

_And the songbirds are singing,  
Like they know the score,  
And I love you, I love you, I love you,  
Like never before._

She kept her eyes locked on the Latina, whose own eyes were closed, her brow furrowed as she sang and her hands opening and closing in front of her in relation to the song.  
_  
And I wish you all the love in the world,  
But most of all, I wish it from myself.  
_  
The sound of Santana's voice and the lyrics of the song made Brittany swallow even harder, and before long, her eyes were watering, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

_And the songbirds keep singing,  
Like they know the score,  
And I love you, I love you, I love you,  
Like never before, like never before._

"Oh my gosh, Britt. What's wrong?" Santana said, as soon as she finished the song.

Brittany had been holding back her sobs so she wouldn't interrupt Santana's singing, but as soon as she finished, Brittany finally let go. She breathed in shallowly, trying to from words.

Santana walked over to her, standing in front of her and pulling her head into her chest. Brittany buried her face into Santana, still sobbing as she grabbed onto the fabric of Santana's sweater, gripping it tightly.

"Shhh, baby. It's okay," Santana whispered, running her fingers through Brittany's hair.

Brittany buried her face deeper into Santana's chest, and held her breath trying to hear the Latina's heart beat. Instead, she heard Santana giggle.

"Damn, Britt. Was I really that bad?"

Brittany pulled back, and looked up at Santana, who was smiling down at her. Brittany sniffled before choking out a laugh.

"No, San! The exact opposite! You were amazing. It was beautiful. Thank you so much," Brittany said, the last part muffled as she pulled Santana closer, burying her face into Santana's chest again.

"You really think so?"

Brittany nodded, and Santana giggled in response to the movement. Santana reached down, and Brittany felt her warms hands cup her face. Santana leaned down and kissed her gently.

"Thank you Britt-Britt," she mumbled against her lips.

Brittany grabbed the sides of Santana's face with both hands, kissing her deeply. She pulled back a few minutes later, catching her breath.

"No, thank you, San. I love you."

Santana smiled and leaned down, giving her quick kiss on the lips.

"I love you, too," she said smiling. "Let's go home."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this update was so late! School's been super hectic, plus I've been volunteering at an elementary school with the spare time that I do have. But here it is! I know it's short, which is unfair cus it's been a long time over due, but I plan on updating twice this week, hopefully. But thank you all who keep reading and following and favoriting and reviewing. It really keeps me going. Thanks again, and enjoy! (:**


	28. About Time

It was the second week into March, and the biting winds of winter had been sufficiently replaced by a light spring breeze.

Santana sat up, leaning against the headboard, Brittany's head in her lap. She ran her fingers through the soft mess of blonde hair, soaking in the quiet stillness.

She smiled and sighed contentedly, but she felt a small nagging feeling in the back of her head, the feeling that she was forgetting to worry about something.

_Oh right. Quinn._

Santana rolled her eyes instinctively.

She hadn't seen the pink haired girl or the Skanks in a while, but the threat still lingered in the back of her mind.

Santana shook her head.

She didn't want to think of that, not now, not when things seemed to be so perfect.

Besides, she wasn't about to let a bitch like Quinn ruin what she had right now.

She looked at the girl laying her lap, her eyes closed.

_She's so beautiful. _

Santana leaned down, kissing Brittany on the temple. The blonde smiled, answering Santana's silent question of whether or not she was awake.

She grabbed Brittany's hand, intertwining their fingers and letting their rings touch.

"Britt?"

"Mmm?" the blonde mumbled, her eyes still closed.

"When I get married, I want my family to be there."

Brittany opened her eyes, and turned to face Santana.

"Of course, San! I want them to be there, too. But why wouldn't they?"

"Well, I mean, I still haven't told them. You know, about us."

Santana closed her eyes for a second, briefly imagining what would happen when she did.

Brittany's soft voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Babe, it's okay. I know you said you weren't ready. And it's not like we're getting married tomorrow."

"I know," Santana said, threading her fingers through blonde hair again.

"It's just, I think I want them to know. I love you, Brittany, and I want you to be in every part of my life."

Brittany smiled and sat up beside her.

"I love you, too," she said, grabbing Santana's hand.

"How do you think you're gonna do it?"

Santana put Brittany's hand in her lap, rubbing her thumb over each one of her nails.

"Well, I mean, I think I'll have to tell my parents over the phone, you know? Because they're at work so much, and I mean, I don't know the next time I'll see them."

Santana could feel her heart beating fast and her mouth getting dry just at the prospect of coming out to her family.

"And I guess I'll tell my abuela in person."

Santana swallowed hard, her eyes still fixed on Brittany's hand, her fingers moving frantically over her pale skin. Brittany grabbed her fingers, stilling them, and bringing her hand to her mouth. Santana felt Brittany's soft lips as she kissed her fingertips.

"It's okay, San. I'll be there if you want me to."

Santana smiled gratefully, amazed at how Brittany had the ability to rile her up but also calm her down.

"Thanks, Britt-Britt. I kind of want to tell my abuela on my own, though, you know?"

Brittany nodded, still pressing Santana's fingertips to her lips.

"But could you be here when I call my parents up?" Brittany smiled.

"Of course, babe."

* * *

Santana sat at her kitchen table, her cell phone in her hand.

Her heart was beating out of her chest.

She placed her cell phone down carefully on the table like it was a bomb about to explode.

She wiped her hands on her jeans and swallowed.

This was it. She was gonna come out to her parents.

She breathed out shakily.

"It's okay, babe," Brittany said softly.

Santana gave her a grateful smile.

Brittany reached into her lap and grabbed her hand.

"But – " Santana protested, embarrassed that her hands were sweaty, but Brittany intertwined her fingers anyways.

"It's okay," she said again.

She nudged the phone lightly towards Santana.

"Whew," Santana breathed.

"Right. Okay. I got this. I can do this," she said loudly but less than confidently.

She felt Brittany lift her hand to her lips and kiss it softly, and for a second Santana forgot why she was nervous.

She loved Brittany so much. How could she not let her be in every part of her life, especially her family?

She smiled at the blonde again.

"Okay," Santana said, grabbing her phone and dialing her mom's number.

"Hola, mami. Yeah, everything's okay. I'm gonna call daddy real quick, okay? Stay on the line. Si. Si. Yeah, just stay on the line. I'm gonna three way."

_Halfway there_, Santana thought to herself as she scrolled through her contacts and called her dad.

"Hi, papi. Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah. Hold on, mami's on the other line."

She clicked the conference button.

"Hola. Hello? Hello. Mami, papi? Si. Okay. Good, you're both on. No, I told you both, I'm fine. Si. Si. Si!" Santana said, groaning in frustration.

"Okay, wait, wait, wait. Just listen. I need to tell you guys something."

All of a sudden her mouth went dry and it felt like her tongue was three sizes too big for her mouth. She breathed in shakily. She looked up at Brittany who looked at her encouragingly.

"I love you," she mouthed.

Santana smiled and nodded. With Brittany, anything seemed possible.

"Okay. Mami, papi, I'm…_gay_."

Santana bit her lip as the other end of the line went silent.

"Hello?"

Her dad was the first one to speak.

"Oh, mija. Is that all? We thought you were failing school or dying or something."

"Dios mio," her mom chimed in, relieved. "I thought it was something like that, too."

Santana scrunched up her face in disbelief. Brittany tilted her head and gave her a puzzled look.

"Wait, so you're okay with this?"

"Of course, mi amor!" her dad said. "As long as you're happy."

"Si, as long as you're happy," her mom agreed.

"We should have known, though," her mom continued, chuckling. "Remember when you were eight and you went trick-or-treating as Uncle Jesse on _Full House_? Spent two years growing out that hair — business in the front, party in the back."

Santana laughed at the memory, the nervousness and anxiety completely gone.

"Yeah, I remember," Santana said smiling, squeezing Brittany's hand.

"Mami, papi, thank you. I love you guys."

"We love you too, mija," her dad said.

"So I bet the lucky girl is Brittany, right?" her dad continued.

Santana blushed.

"Yeah. But I think I'm the lucky one, papi," Santana said, looking across the table at her gorgeous girlfriend.

"Mhm, thought as much," her mom said, filling in for her dad.

Santana just smiled.

"Mami, papi, thank you, again. So much."

"No problem, mija. We love you, okay? Remember that," her dad said.

"Si. We love you, amor," her mom added in.

"I know, I love you, too. I'll talk to you guys later, okay? Yeah, Brittany's here. I will. Okay. Sounds good. Bye."

Santana put her phone down again, slowly.

"They're okay, with it, Britt!" she said excitedly.

Brittany got up and enveloped her in a hug, lifting her up and spinning her around.

"I knew they would be, babe!"

Santana smiled widely before kissing her deeply.

"I love you," she murmured against Brittany's lips.

"I love you, too," Brittany said back, before kissing her again and setting her down.

Santana sighed and let herself fall into the chair, pulling Brittany down on top of her.

"My parents said hi," Santana said happily, burying her face in Brittany's hair.

"That's sweet. Tell them I said hi back when you talk to them again."

"Sure thing, babe."

Santana sighed contentedly.

Now all she had left was her abuela.

Her body instinctively tensed at the thought of telling her grandma.

"What's wrong, San?" Brittany asked, responding to the change in Santana's body posture.

"I was just thinking about telling my grandma," she said quietly, playing with Brittany's hair.

Brittany turned to face her, holding her face in her hands.

"Don't worry, baby. It'll be okay. And if worse comes to worse, you have your parents and you have me, okay?"

Santana smiled.

"Thanks, Britt-Britt," she said, kissing her.

"No problem," Brittany said smiling.

Santana sat back, allowing Brittany to lean against her.

She sighed again deeply and smiled, wondering how she got so lucky to have a girlfriend like Brittany.

* * *

**A/N: Hi! I know I said I'd try to post twice last week, but it didn't happen. Sorry :l I got caught up in a fic I had started writing a while ago, and I literally became obsessed with finishing it. It's up now and it's called "Who Knew." It's really dramatic and angst-y, but I'm really proud of it. Plus, I'm home for spring break, and I'm trying to see as many of my friends while I can before I leave again for school. But here this is! I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for reading and reviewing! You guys seriously make my day :D**


	29. Sorry

Santana stood in front of the door, a twisting knot in her stomach and something like cotton mouth plaguing her tongue. She swallowed hard, but her mouth remained dry.

She took deep breaths in, wiping her sweaty palms on her dress. Her fingers twitched for a cigarette, but she knew how much her abuela hated it when she smoked, and she needed everything to be in her favor if she were to come out to this woman.

She played back the scenario of her coming out to her parents and how well they responded.

Her mouth pulled into a small smile and she silently thanked whatever God was out there for them.

And for Brittany.

Santana instantly wished she had brought the blonde with her. As if reading her thoughts, her phone buzzed with a text from her girlfriend.

_I'll be waiting for you when you get home, babe. You can do it. I love you. _

Santana thanked the higher beings again for giving her Brittany.

With this new little burst of confidence, she took a deep breath in and rang the doorbell.

"Santana!" her grandmother exclaimed, throwing the door wide open and pulling her into a tight hug.

Santana smiled at the familiar feeling of her grandmother's arms, and she relaxed for second before remembering why she was there.

"Hi, abuelita," Santana said shyly, as the older women lead her towards the kitchen.

"Look at you, nieta. You're like a stick. You're not eating, are you? Dios mio, I knew I shouldn't have left. You look like a skeleton. Even that tight dress looks loose on you," her grandmother said disapprovingly as she puttered around the kitchen, preparing a meal.

Santana chuckled nervously and sat down at the table.

"I'm fine, abuela. I'm eating, and this dress is supposed to be loose."

"Mi nieta? In a loose dress? Now I'm certain you're not all right," her abuela said, setting a plate down in front of her.

Santana shook her head and laughed again, this time slightly less nervous. She had missed her grandma's sense of humor.

"Well, Brittany bought it for me. Plus, it's more comfortable even though I do look better in the tight ones."

"Ah, Brittany! How is she? Such a sweet girl. It's good to know you held on to her, mi amor. She's been such a good friend to you."

Santana nodded silently in agreement.

Brittany had been such a good friend to her, a good best friend and an even better girlfriend. She still couldn't believe that they were together.

Santana laid her hands flat on the table, her eyes glued to the ring on her finger.

"Why didn't you bring her with you?" her grandma asked, still moving around the kitchen.

Santana cleared her throat.

"Well, actually I kind of had things I wanted to talk to you about. Please, abuela. Sientate."

The older woman sat down, giving her a skeptical look.

"Ay, Santana, please don't tell me you're pregnant."

Santana let out a small laugh.

"No, no, no. It's not that. I'm smarter than that, abuelita."

"Si, you're right, mi nieta. Plus, there's no way you could be pregnant while looking like starving child. Salsa?" her grandma insisted, pushing the plate of food towards her.

"No, abuela. Esuchame. It's important, okay?"

Her grandma nodded, the skepticism replaced by worry.

"Abuelita," Santana started, the words getting caught her throat.

She cleared her throat.

"Abuelita," she began again. "I love girls the way I'm supposed to feel about boys. It's a secret I've kept hidden for a long time, but I want to share it with you because I love you so much. I want you to know me, who I really am. Brittany's my girlfriend, abuelita, and when I'm with her, all those stupid love songs I always made fun of finally make sense. I know what it feels like to have butterflies in my stomach, to care about someone so much, you'd put aside your own happiness to make sure they were happy. And she makes me happy, abuelita. And I love her, and I'm not ashamed of it. I've tried so hard to ignore this feeling, to lock it up and push it away, but every day just feels like a war. And I can pretend that it's a war I'm fighting with the world, and I can walk around feeling so angry at everyone, but in the end, I'm really just fighting myself. And I'm tired of fighting, abuelita. I can't do it anymore. I don't want to do it anymore. I have to just be me."

Santana pulled her hands into her lap, her eyes searching the face of the woman in front of her. They sat quietly for a few minutes, the words settling uneasily in the tense silence.

"Please say something, abuelita," Santana pleaded quietly.

"I think you should leave now, Santana."

"What?"

"I think you should leave."

"Wait, why?"

Santana could feel the tears coming, a sob forming in her throat.

Her grandma stood up abruptly, walking towards the sink.

"It's a sin, Santana. Can you imagine what people will say when they find out? Think of the scandal."

Santana stood up too, her hands in fists, her tears of rejection turning into tears of anger.

"How can it be a sin? How can you tell me that the feelings I have for Brittany are a sin, that being in love with someone is a sin? And I don't care what people say about me. I love Brittany, abuela. And that's all that matters."

Her grandma turned around, anger in her eyes.

"And what makes you think this will last? Are you willing to ruin your reputation and your life over some teenage phase that you're going through?"

Santana winced at the words her grandma said, the tears falling against her will.

"Because I love her. I love her more than I have ever loved anyone else in this world. Even more than myself. It's not a phase, abuela. This is who I am. And I'm sorry that you can't see that. But most of all, I'm sorry that I can't share this with you. I love you, abuelita, and I wanted to share with you how amazing Brittany makes me feel, and I wanted you to see how happy she makes me, and I wanted you to be happy for us. I'm sorry I came here. I thought you loved me for who I was, but I guess you only loved me for who you wanted me to be. Goodbye, abuela."

Santana walked quickly to the door and was in her car, speeding towards Brittany's house before she could even register what had happened.

She pulled into the Pierce's driveway, the realization of the situation finally settling on her. She leaned her forehead on the steering wheel, and let the tears fall silently until she could no longer compose herself. She sobbed hard, her body convulsing and her chest constricting from the lack of air.

She didn't even notice when Brittany crawled into the passenger seat beside her. She felt the familiar arms wrap around her as Brittany pulled her over the middle console into her lap, and Santana let herself fall limply into the blonde, her body still shaking from sobs.

"It's okay, baby," Brittany whispered. "It's okay. I'm here, okay? I'm here. And I love you. It'll be okay."

Santana squeezed her eyes shut, her breathing choppy and short as she struggled to breathe while sobbing. She clung to the blonde like her life depended on it, her hands grabbing fistfuls of Brittany's loose shirt. She stayed like that for a while until her sobs had returned to being silent tears, the silence only broken by her quiet gasps of air and Brittany's comforting chant of "It's okay. I love you."

Santana released the hold she had on Brittany's shirt, her fingers sore from the tight grip they held. She ran her fingers over the stretched out, wrinkled fabric.

"I'm sorry," Santana said hoarsely.

"No, San. Don't apologize. It's okay. It's just a sleeping shirt. It's fine."

Santana nodded, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

"Thank you, Britt," she mumbled into blonde hair.

"Let's go inside, babe," Brittany said, scooping her up and walking to the front door.

Santana felt childish allowing Brittany to carry her like that, but she was too tired to protest. She felt Brittany's arms tighten around her as she carried her to her room and laid her down on her bed.

Santana curled up into a ball, her eyes sore from the tears and her body tired from shaking with sobs. She felt Brittany lay down beside her, pulling her into her body and wrapping her arms around her protectively.

"I know it's hard, baby. And I know how much you wanted her to accept us, but it'll be okay. She's just confused right now, you know? She loves you, San. I know she does. She just needs time."

"But what about me?" Santana said quietly. "What about how hard it was for me? And how confused I was all those years? And how much time it took for me to finally be comfortable with this? And to gather enough courage to tell her? What about me?" she said, the tears falling again.

"Shh, it's okay, babe. It's okay. I understand. And you get to be mad, too. But you love her too much to be mad. Just like she loves you too much to stay mad. Just give it time."

Santana nodded and turned over, burying her face into the blonde's neck.

"I love you, Britt."

"I love you too."

Santana closed her eyes, allowing her anger and hurt to be swept away with Brittany's words.

The exhaustion from crying finally overcame her, and she fell asleep, thankful for the arms that wrapped around her, trying to protect her from the hurt.

* * *

**A/N: It's been almost a month since I last updated O.O Things have been really hectic with school and exams and personal things. Plus, I caught up with all the chapters I already wrote, so I'm actually writing these now right before I post them. Anyways, yeah this one is kind of angsty, but for all of you still reading, please just keep trusting me. Plus, congrats to Hemo on being preggers! Looking forward to there being a little Hemo dancing around soon (: [And hopefully this isn't some weird like late April Fool's joke -.-]**


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